Prodigy of the Spirit Realm
by taintedlegacy
Summary: Oto, Kumo, Iwa, and Akatsuki have created an alliance in order to defeat Konoha. It's up to Naruto to gain new powers in order to save everything that is precious to him...with the help of Kyuubi of course. Are those wedding bells ringing in the distance?
1. And So It Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, my stories wouldn't be here. They would be the actual manga…or not. Who knows?

Author's note: This is the edited version of chapter one, I didn't realize that I left so many mistakes and contradicting facts in it. I also had to fix the line breaks, I didn't realize that the lines wouldn't show up. A few sentences were added here and there, but nothing major, so if you don't feel like re-reading the chapter, you aren't missing anything. Just to let you guys know, it'll be a while before chapter two is posted, going to school and work is a killer. I'll try to get it out in a month or so, but I'm not making any promises.

**WARNING**: **SPOILERS **ahead in description of where this story takes place.

This story takes place after the second attempt to bring Sasuke back and Asuma has died in his fight against Akatsuki. The main pairing will be Naruhina, SasuSaku, and I will hold a poll for the other pairings.

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self Talk**"

'_**Demon Thoughts**_'

Begin:

Chapter 1: And So It Begins

Sakura sighed. '_That makes the fifth one. The fifth patient that died because I couldn't do anything, just like I couldn't help Naruto bring back Sasuke-kun. Am I cut out to be a __kunoichi__? It seems like the three years of training that I had with Tsunade-sama didn't do anything at all._'

'_Sasuke-kun…why did you become so cold hearted? When we last met, you were nothing like the Sasuke-kun that was on Team Seven. Are you still the same person? Do I still want him to come back?_'

'**Girl, you gotta let go of him. Look at what's straight in front of you!**' '_Ano…Naruto? I'm not really interested in Naruto as a boyfriend._' '**Hello, he's everything a girl could want from a guy. He's caring, strong, and he would do anything for his girlfriend! You want him! He saved you from Orochimaru during the first Chunin exams, and later he saved you from Gaara!**'

'_You're right, Naruto is an amazing person. Maybe I really do love him? He's always been there for me, and everything seemed to get brighter after he returned from his training trip. I…guess I do love him. I…I need to tell him now! He'll probably jump up and down with joy before dragging me off to go eat at Ichiraku's with him. I'm glad that after all of these years that Naruto is still the same. At least __**he**__ hasn't changed.'_

---------------------------

Naruto sat at the mouth of the waterfall, utilizing his charka control to keep him afloat. It was something that he had picked up from his three year training trip with Jiraiya.

Whenever he needed to calm down and think, he would find the nearest waterfall and sit down. Waterfalls reminded him of that mysterious angel he had seen dancing all those years ago during that mission he went on with Team 8, and thinking of that angel always calmed him down. For a while, he had been foolish enough to believe that he had a guardian angel.

'_Damn it! Damn you Sasuke…why the hell are you staying with Orochimaru?! Why can't I get you to come back? If you truly want to leave us here, then shouldn't I let you face the consequences yourself? Should I give up on you? No…I can't give up! I swore on my nindo to bring you back…besides…if I can't keep that one promise, then everybody would think I'm a liar, and I can't…won't…have __**her**__ thinking that I'm a liar. She did so much for me and I haven't had any time to make it up to her. I hope she remembers my promise.' _

_**Flashback (One week after Sasuke's depature)**_

Naruto had just gotten out of the hospital, and was on his way to a training field to work out his kinks. During his walk, Naruto started to remember his stay in the hospital. He had been in the hospital for roughly four days, the longest that he had ever been in a hospital.

'_Though I suppose having a Chidori shoved through your chest would do that…I'm lucky that Ero-sennin is going to be training me for three years._'

His stay at the hospital had been memorable. For the first time, he had actual visitors, and they left flowers and get-well-soon cards. All the other times that he had been hospitalized due to villagers being too short-sighted to see past the Kyuubi, he had spent alone with the exception of the few doctors that actually treated him and Ojiisan, the deceased Sandaime Hokage. Even Iruka-sensei didn't know how many times Naruto had been in the hospital.

Shikamaru had been one of his first visitors, and was also the first to lift Naruto's spirits. He had assured Naruto, that it was not his fault that the mission was a failure. Next, Sakura had visited and told Naruto that next time, she would be with him to help bring back Sasuke. The Suna Trio had even dropped by, and Gaara, in an unusual display of emotion, put his hand on Naruto's shoulder before leaving. The rest of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai came to visit and left gifts, but Naruto thought that Hinata's visit was the best.

Hinata had visited Naruto while he was still asleep. When he woke up, he took a deep breathe and realized that the hospital smelled different. '_What's that smell? It doesn't smell like medicine and death…it smells…nice. It's not food…it's…lavender? And why does my left hand feel so warm? Nice and comfortable and warm._'

Naruto opened his eyes and saw a purple mass on his chest. Blinking a few times to wake up properly, Naruto finally realized that the purple mass was Hinata's head. Hinata was asleep on top of Naruto, firmly grasping Naruto's left hand with her left hand, leaving her right hand to rest on Naruto's stomach.

Hinata slowly started to wake up. She was having such a nice dream too; she was with her Naruto-kun, and they were strolling around the park at night. He led her up to the Hokage monument to stare at the moon. Naruto-kun turned to face her, and his face was inches away from hers, before she felt something squeeze her hand, waking her from her dream.

She opened her eyes, and was confused. She didn't recognize her surroundings, all she knew was that she wasn't in her room. And her pillow was unusually hard and warm and…was it moving? Hinata opened her eyes before remembering that she had been sitting by Naruto-kun's bed and she must have fallen asleep, meaning that…her "pillow" was Naruto-kun. With a squeak, she sat straight up in her chair, and her face was as red as a tomatoe.

"Hi Hinata, good to see you're awake. How long have you been here?"

"S-s-since last night, N-Naruto-kun. It's g-good to see y-you awake."

"Ya, but I might have preferred to be asleep. Tsunade-baachan told me that I have to stay in the hospital for another two days. It's going to be so boring. All I did yesterday was sit and stare at the wall. It was boring having no one to talk to."

"U-um, Naruto-kun, I w-wouldn't m-mind talking with y-you."

"Really? You mean it? Awesome!"

And so as the day went on, Naruto and Hinata talked about everything that was on their mind, except for Sasuke's departure. At first, Hinata was a bit tentative to talk, because she was afraid that Naruto would find everything she said to be silly and stupid. However, that wasn't the case; Naruto, proved to be a good listener. He didn't interrupt her, and allowed her time to finish her sentences.

Eventually, the subject came to Sasuke. Naruto, became extremely gloomy at this point. "N-Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san's d-departure was not your fault. P-please, do not blame yourself. I-it hurts me to see y-you in such pain."

"Do…do you really think that I'm not at fault? I mean, I wasn't strong enough to bring him back to Konoha."

"S-Sasuke-san is…was…a s-shinobi of Konoha, meaning that he is an adult. A-as such, he is in charge of h-his own decisions. It is not your fault."

"Hinata…thank you. Thank you so much. You, along with Tsunade-baachan, Ero-sennin, and Shikamaru are the only ones that have told me so. Even though Sakura-chan doesn't say it, I know that she blames me for Sasuke's betrayal. Same with Kakashi-sensei."

Hinata simply blushed at his comment and looked away, before getting up to open the mini-blinds. She always loved watching the sun set. It had always been a hobby with her, and she especially treasured it because watching the sunset reminded her of all the times she had watched it with her mother.

'_I hope Naruto-kun doesn't think less of me because I enjoy something as trivial as watching the sun set_.'

"Wow, Hinata, I didn't know you watch the sun set too! That's awesome. As soon as I get out of the hospital, we should go watch the sunset together on top of the Hokage monument. The view is amazing up there. What do you say?"

'_Kami-sama…is Naruto-kun asking me out on a date? I…I hope that this isn't a dream. Please Kami-sama, don't let this be a dream!_'

"H-hai, Naruto-kun, I…would enjoy that." With that said, Hinata immediately looked out the window; she didn't want Naruto to see her blushing. He would probably think she was sick and then call off their date.

Naruto looked over at Hinata, and was awestruck by the scene he saw in front of him. If he didn't know better, he would say that Hinata was an angel. The sun's last rays shined down on her, causing her to have an ethereal look to her. He felt his heart speed up, and suddenly found it hard to breathe.

'_What…what's wrong with me? I know I'm not sick, Kyuubi would heal any disease, meaning that it must be from a wound…of course! Sasuke's Chidori did go through my lung, so that explains why it's hard to breathe. But what about my heart? Some electrical spark or something probably hit it, that would make it speed up wouldn't it? Bah, medical stuff is too complicated for me, I'll leave it to Tsunade-baachan._'

However, things didn't go as planned. Instead of having their "date", Naruto had to leave immediately for his training trip.

_**Flashback (Day of Naruto's departure)**_

All of Naruto's friends and sensei's had come to see him off. Naruto simply rolled his eyes. '_Sheesh, Ero-sennin and I have been trying to leave for the last half-hour, but no, Tsunade-baachan, Shizune-neechan, and all of the girls have to get all teary-eyed and cry and make sure I got everything packed. It's almost as if they think I'm a little kid or something. But…it's really nice to have people that care about me…_'

"Naruto, remember if you come back as a pervert, I'll kill you!" Tsunade shouted before hugging him and whispering in his ear, "I don't want someone I see as a son and future Hokage become a pervert okay? I know how you tend to jump into dangerous situations, but please, please, please, be careful," by this time Tsunade was in tears, "I don't want to lose another precious person in my life."

Naruto, was thoroughly touched. Never before had he seen his Tsunade-baachan so emotional. His body, afraid of such close contact, tensed unintentionally when she hugged him. Feeling him tense up, Tsunade was confused for a second.

'_Why did he tense up? Oh…Kami-sama…don't tell me…' _A single look into Naruto's fear filled-eyes was all she needed to prove her theory correct._ 'He…he was abused before…someone must have hugged him and then tried to kill him…Naruto…I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to help you before…I can only wonder why Sarutobi-sensei never did anything else to help you. No matter…from now on, I swear, I will always be there for you._'

Tsunade decided that she should let go of Naruto before he got even more uncomfortable. She slowly started to remove her arms from around him before she felt him return the hug. Naruto's action took Tsunade by surprise, but she was touched that Naruto felt comfortable enough around her to hug her back, despite his previous experiences with hugs.

After breaking out of the hug, Naruto walked over to Hinata. He gave her a small smile before saying, "Hinata, guess we'll have to wait until I come back to watch the sunset huh?"

"H-hai…Naruto-kun. Please, take t-this. I would f-feel a lot better i-if you took this w-with you." She handed him two jars of medicinal cream, just like the one she had given him during the preliminary matches.

"Wow, thanks a lot Hinata! This stuff works great! Hey Tsunade-baachan, check out Hinata's medicine! It works great, almost as good as your stuff. Hey I know, why don't you train Hinata Baachan?"

"Damn it Naruto, what have I told you about calling me 'Baachan'?" After bopping Naruto on the head lightly (for her anyway), she inspected Hinata's cream.

'_Hm…this cream is rather advanced for someone with no prior experience in the medical field. If she was able to create this on her own, then imagine what she could do if Shizune and I taught her! Naruto has a point…maybe I should train her in addition to Sakura. After all, Sakura hasn't shown any real skill in the medical field, despite her great charka control, but anyone can attain great chakra control with enough practice. On the other hand, Hinata has great chakra control and the Byakugan…with some practice, she could become a legend among all the Hidden Villages…no, all the Elemental Countries! _'

"Hinata-san, starting from this day, you will be my apprentice, alongside Sakura-san. We can meet at a later date to figure out your training schedule. Is that agreeable to you?"

"H-hai. Arigato Tsunade-sama!"

"Oi, gaki lets go! Times a wasting, and we need to start your training!"

"Hai, hai Ero-sennin. Well, guess I'll see you all in three years!"

_**End Flashback**_

-----------------------------

Hinata sighed. Naruto-kun had been back for nearly a month now, and she had only seen him once. It wasn't because of a lack of effort on her part though. No, she had been busy with missions, and then Kurenai-sensei's lover, Asuma-san, had been killed in a fight. Hinata had felt obligated to stay with Kurenai-sensei during her time of grief. After all, she had always been there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. At least Kurenai-sensei had something to remember Asuma-san by.

'_I can't imagine how hard it will be to raise their child by herself. It's hard enough being a single parent, but being a single parent and a kunochi is even tougher. I'm glad that so many people have decided to help her. I know that Shikamaru-san has pledged his help in raising the child when it is born, and so have Ino-san, Chouji-san, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, and I. I was especially surprised though, when I overheard Naruto-kun talking to Kurenai-sensei.'_

_**Flashback (Sometime after Asuma's funeral)**_

Hinata was hiding behind a tree while she watched Kurenai-sensei. She was worried for her sensei; she had been standing in front of the memorial stone for quite a while. It would not be good for her to stand out there, in both a physical and emotional sense. Just as she was about to confront her sensei, Hinata saw someone walk up to Kurenai-sensei.

'_Is that…Naruto-kun? What's he doing here?_' Intrigued, Hinata continued her silent observation.

"Ano…Kurenai-san?"

"Hm? Who is it? Oh…ohayo Naruto-san. How may I help you?"

"Ano…I…just wanted to say…that…well…"

"Yes?" Kurenai prodded. She was starting to get perplexed with Naruto's behavior. Never before has she seen him act so flustered and nervous, and she had observed the child a lot. After all, one of her favorite students/surrogate daughter harbored feelings for him, and she had to make sure that her student didn't pick some pervert.

"I'm really sorry about Asuma-san's death. It's all my fault, and for that, I apologize."

Both Hinata and Kurenai were confused. _'His fault? How…why does Naruto-kun/san think that Asuma-san/kun's death was his fault?'_

"What do you mean Naruto-san? You didn't kill him, it was that Akatsuki member."

"Exactly. You know who I am…what I contain, correct?" Seeing Kurenai nod, Naruto continued. "You should know then, that Akatsuki is after me, along with a few others that share my…condition. If I hadn't returned to Konoha, or if I had even been there to help Asuma-san's team fight, then things would have turned out differently."

"Naruto-san, it's not your fa…"

"No, it is my fault. Don't try to tell me differently, because I know it is. If I had been there, I could have distracted them or fought them off using _its_ power. After three years of training with Ero-sennin, I am still far too weak. Perhaps Sasuke was right…maybe I am we…"

Kurenai had enough of Naruto's speech, so she slapped him across the check…hard. "No, you listen to **me**. What happened was beyond your control. Do you understand? Even if you had been there, wouldn't the consequences have been much worse if they had captured you than they are now?"

"Maybe you're right, but I am still at fault."

"How so?"

"You know that my dream is to become Hokage, correct?" After receiving a nod, Naruto decided to continue. "Then I am sure you know why I want to become Hokage right?"

"Yes, you wish to gain the respect of everybody, ranging from the villagers to the council."

"Let me clarify what I meant. What I should have said was this: 'Then I am sure you know what I _said_ in regards to my dream'. In actuality, I couldn't care more about gaining the respect of the entire village. There will always be people who refuse to 'look underneath the underneath'."

"There are two main reasons why I want to become Hokage. One, is that as a Hokage, I would be able to protect all of my precious people with a greater degree of success than I can currently do now. Second, as Hokage, I would be able to prevent anyone else from living a childhood similar to mine. You know, being beaten, stealing to survive, living in alleys for a few months before I was able to get my own apartment."

"But, even more important than that, I would be like Sandaime-ojiisan. He was like a grandfather to me, you know? Ojiisan always did his best to help me, when he found out that I was living on the streets, he got an apartment for me. True, the apartment was way overpriced and small, but when it rained, I had a roof to sleep under. That's what I want to do for other orphans, to fill that spot as a role model if they have no one else to look up to."

"But now look at me. Because of me, another child is going to grow up without knowing its father. What kind of monster am I?"

"Naruto-san…please, don't blame yourself. It is not your fault that Asuma-kun died, it is the Akatsuki's fault. Now, before you go and say that it was your fault because you're their target, understand this. It is Akatsuki's fault that Asuma-kun died! If that organization wasn't formed, then would he have died? No! So it's not your fault, understand?"

"…A…arigato Kurenai-san. If you ever need help with anything, let me know all right? And when the baby is born, I swear on my nindo that I will help raise the child. It's the least I can do."

"Naruto-san…thank you. You don't know how much your offer means to me."

_**End Flashback**_

'_I still wonder why Naruto-kun thought that Asuma-san's death was his fault. And…why is Akatsuki after him? Did he offend them during his training trip?_ _Hmm, the sun is about to set. Should I go find Naruto-kun? He did promise that we would go watch the sunset together, but it's been almost three years since he made that promise. Did he forget? No, stop that Hinata, he wouldn't forget. After all, he did make a promise and he always keeps his promises.'_

'_I'll go look for him at the training fields. He's always there practicing…Kami-sama, I wish I could be just a bit more like Naruto-kun, he's so determined and strong yet still cheerful and kind at the same time. He would make a great Hokage, and an even greater husband and father.'_

------------------------------

Hinata started to walk off towards the training grounds with the waterfall. Naruto had started to train near waterfalls a lot. She noticed that he had never trained near waterfalls before he left for his training trip, so she was quite curious as to what brought about the change.

'_I hope he doesn't remember that mission from all those years ago when he unknowingly peeked on me…that would be so embarrassing!_'

When Hinata reached Naruto's training ground, she blushed and hid behind a tree. '_Naruto-kun…is shirtless. He…he has…developed very nicely over the few years. Bad Hinata, stop thinking bad thoughts._'

'_What is Naruto-kun doing? Wait…is he? He is! Oh, Naruto-kun, I'm so proud of you. You're using your charka to sit on top of a rushing river; I remember when your charka control was so terrible that you couldn't climb a tree! And now look at you, you're doing an exercise that many Chuunin and some Jounin would have trouble doing!_'

During Hinata's praise, Sakura walked onto the training field and saw Naruto. Her reaction was somewhat similar to Hinata's.

'_Damn, look at him! Naruto is ripped! __**Hell ya he is! You go girl, grab him and go home! **__Man, if he falls in the water, my day would be complete!_'

"Oi, Naruto!"

Sakura's shout surprised the two other people on the field. Naruto was shocked that Sakura had managed to sneak onto the field without him knowing.

'_Hm? What's she doing here? And why does she have to be so loud? It was rather tranquil here before she barged in. Was I so preoccupied with my thoughts that I wasn't able to sense her?_'

Hinata was shocked for another reason.

'_Oh no…Sakura-san is here. What is she doing here? She never cared about Naruto-kun before, why does she have to start caring now? I…I hope she is here for a mission and not for personal reason. Kami-sama, please don't let her start to return Naruto-kun's feelings…not now, not when I was finally about to confess my love to him. If she does love him…then…I'll have no chance to be with Naruto-kun…'_

"Watcha need Sakura-chan?"

"Ano…I just wanted to talk to you…about the last mission we were just on."

"Oh, okay, I'll be right there." That being said, Naruto walked off the river onto dry land, and sat beneath a tree, motioning for Sakura to do the same.

'_Kami, I hope she doesn't start crying because we weren't able to bring back Sasuke. I hate it when girls cry, especially since I have no idea what to do._'

"Look, Sakura-chan, let me remind you that no matter what, I **will** keep my promise and bring Sasuke back. I mean, I swore…"

"No Naruto, that's not what I wanted to talk about," Sakura interrupted Naruto, "I wanted to talk to you about…us. Not Sasuke-kun, us. As in you and me, Naruto."

Hinata swore that her heart stopped beating when she heard Sakura's statement.

'_Kami-sama, there's doubt about it, Sakura-san loves Naruto-kun now. Why does Sakura-san always beat me? She is probably more proficient in medical jutsus because of her 'perfect charka control', she has a great figure, and she has Naruto-kun's love. Why can't I do anything right? I tried to come and tell Naruto-kun how I feel, but I fail, and I am allowed to see the man I love get together with another woman._'

Hinata wanted to run away and cry in her room, but she couldn't even move her eyes away from the sight. Tears started to slowly build up in her lavender eyes.

"Um…what?"

Sakura giggled. '_Guess I have to spell it out for him. He's always been a bit dense._'

"Naruto-no-baka, I'm talking about us becoming a couple! Without Sasuke-kun here to distract me, I was finally able to see who I really loved-you. I looked back at all our missions, and I realized that you were the one that was always there for me, not Sasuke-kun. So, I guess what I'm saying, is that…well…yes I will go get some ramen with you Naruto!"

During Sakura's speech, she started to slowly bring her face closer to Naruto's. Naruto was getting very nervous. '_Damn it! I don't want to kiss her! I want to kiss Hinata…wait…where did that come from? Oh crap, how do I get out of this? I don't want to hurt Sakura-chan's feelings, but I don't want to kiss her! What do I…_'

Naruto's ramblings were cut off when he felt something warm and slightly moist press against his lips. His eyes became as wide as saucers, and for a moment he was too shocked to do anything.

Hinata had several tears rolling down her face. '_Kami-sama…why does it feel like my heart is breaking in two? I…I wanted Naruto-kun so badly! But…Naruto-kun's happiness is much more important than my own…so…if Naruto-kun wants Sakura-san, then I will let him have her. But…why does it still hurt so much?_' With her thoughts finished, Hinata turned around and ran to her favorite training field.

------------------------

Sakura felt as though she was in heaven.

'_Kami-sama…his lips are so soft and warm. His chest…oh…his muscles are so well developed. I…I don't want this moment to end! I could die now, and I would die happy!_'

Naruto, however, was feeling much worse.

'_Damn it! I don't want to be kissing her! How…how do I let her know that I don't love her without breaking her heart? She must have just gotten over Sasuke's departure, and if I say anything harsh to her, she may just lose it…I remember how distraught she was the morning after Sasuke left…what do I do?_'

Naruto, braced himself and gently pushed Sakura off of him. Sakura stared into those brilliant blue eyes of his, and Naruto seemed to hear her unvoiced question.

"Sakura-chan…we can't do this."

"What? Why…why not? We both want it!"

"No…I moved on a while ago. I realized that you would always love Sasuke, whether he was here or not. You just have to understand that yourself."

"I don't love Sasuke-kun anymore! I love you Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan, listen to yourself. What suffix did you add to Sasuke's name?"

"I added 'kun', I always did and always will. What's that have to do with anything?"

"One last question Sakura-chan. What suffix did you add to my name?"

"Easy! I…I…oh, Kami-sama…what have I done? Why…why do I still love Sasuke-kun?! Why?!"

"The wills of the heart are out of our control. Do we even have a choice in choosing who we love? We can say that we do, but in actuality, we have no choice at all. The heart has a mind of its own, one that we have no control over. Do not blame yourself Sakura-chan."

During Naruto's interrogation, Sakura started to lean against Naruto, resting her head on his shoulder. When Naruto realized that Sakura stopped thinking of him as boyfriend material, he felt comfortable enough to put his arm over her shoulder and offer her as much comfort as he could. Sakura's sobs, slowly stopped as she managed to calm down.

"Wow Naruto that actually sounded intelligent! Where did you hear that?"

"No where, you know that exercise I was doing earlier? When I do that, my mind just thinks on its own, and I come up with some pretty deep stuff. I should probably write it down and place them in fortune cookies to make millions huh?"

Sakura laughed, but she couldn't help but fell a bit down. "So…you don't love me at all huh? I guess I can't blame you, after everything I did to you when we were younger."

"When did I say that I didn't love you?"

"But…you…didn't you just say that you didn't love me?"

"Eh…kinda. What I mean is that I wouldn't want to get into your pants or anything."

"And why not? You think I'm ugly?! Huh?!"

'_Uh-oh, Sakura-chan is getting really mad. Gotta get her to understand me quick, otherwise I'll be flying like Ero-sennin!'_ "No, I'm just not a fan of incest."

"Incest?"

"Yep. I love you like a sister. I don't love you like I would love a girlfriend or a wife. We've been through a lot together, and well…Team 7…we were a family you know? Kakashi-sensei was like the older brother who acted like he as too cool to hang out with the little kids, but whenever we needed him, he would show up and protect us. You, Sakura-neechan, were like the big sister who always provided the voice of reason. Sasuke…he…was like my twin, always arguing with me…but, he was more than that to me. He was also my rival."

"You know I'm an orphan right? I've never knew what it was like to have a family look out for you. Not until Iruka-sensei came into my life. That was one of the main reasons why I played pranks at the Academy; I wanted to have an excuse to spend some more time with Iruka-sensei, because I've always thought of him as my father. I know I could've just asked him to spend time with me, but then my reputation as a tough shinobi would go down the drain."

By this time, Sakura was in tears. It wasn't because she was sad though, well at least not for herself. Rather, she felt so bad for Naruto. She realized that of all the members of Team 7, she was extremely lucky. She still had her parents to take care of her, while none of the other members had any sane family members left to look after them.

Kakashi-sensei was an adult so he could take care of himself, but didn't he say during their bell test that all of his precious people had died? Sasuke-kun's entire family had been massacred by his brother while he was still a child. Naruto…Naruto never went through the pain that Sasuke-kun went through because he never had a family in the first place. She had no idea how Naruto could always be so cheerful despite the fact that he had never received a hug, never felt the joy of being praised for a good job, or even being comforted by a mother after experiencing a nightmare. It was then that Sakura came to decision.

'_Naurto…no, Naruto-niisan said that I was like an older sister to him…it's time I start fulfilling my role. I can't believe that after everything I put him through, that he still sees me as his sister. Never again, I will never again leave any of my 'family' members alone._' Sakura broke out of her thoughts in time to hear the rest of Naruto's speech.

"Whenever I was you guys, I always wondered…was this what it was like to have a family? At first, I was scared. More scared than I had ever been. Facing Zabuza didn't even scare me as much as I feared being on a team. I was afraid, I didn't know how to act around you guys. Eventually, I became more comfortable around you guys, and realized that the reason that I always looked forward to our team meetings wasn't to get a new mission or train or learn some new jutsus. I realized that I looked forward to hanging out with my family."

At the end of Naruto's speech, Sakura had silent tears rolling down her face. She had never realized how uncomfortable Naruto must have been. Once again, she silently pledged that she would never leave her newfound brother alone again.

"Naruto-niisan, listen. My door is always open to you, and if you ever need an ear, I'm available alright? It isn't good for you to bottle up all of those emotions."

"Thanks Sakura-neechan, but are you sure? I mean…I don't think your parents like me because of…you know…"

"Don't worry, they used to fear you because of the Kyuubi, but after I told them that you saved me from Gaara, they loosened up. They actually respect you now!"

"Thanks a lot Sakura-neechan."

"Well, I better get back to training; I got a lot more to learn. Oh, before I go, I have one more question for you."

"Ya?"

"How did you know that you love me as a sister and not as something more?" Sakura started to look a bit embarrassed, because she felt she was prying into personal business. But then again, now she was his "older sister", and sisters had the right to pry…didn't they?

"Oh, I read a book that described love, and I wasn't feeling any of the symptoms."

"Symptoms?"

"Ya, you know, getting all hot and stuff like that."

Sakura could feel her face heat up; she couldn't believe what Naruto thought love was. "Ano…niisan? Sorry to burst your bubble, but those 'symptoms' are only felt at later stages of love. Haven't you ever felt your heart beat really fast or find it hard to breathe?"

"Nope…wait. Yes, when I was in the hospital after Sasuke's departure. My heart started beating really fast, and I had trouble breathing. I just thought that it was a side effect of having a couple of Chidoris shoved through my chest. So that's love?"

"Yup…so…who were you thinking of?"

"Not telling you; you would tell Ino, and then between the two of you, the whole village would know!"

"No I wouldn't!"

"Would too!"

'_Hm…back at the hospital the only girl that really visited him was Hinata…so that means…Kawaii!! Naruto-niisan is in love with Hinata, and Hinata is in love with niisan! They would make such a great couple!_'

------------------------

After Sakura left, Naruto resumed his position on top of the river. He had far too many things going on his life to deal with.

'_Hm, the sun is setting. I really should go find Hinata and ask her to go see the sun set with me. So…I love Hinata? Does that mean I should call her Hinata-chan? I guess I really do love her. How could I not have noticed her before? She's always been there for me and she never laughed or ridiculed me at the Academy. In fact, she was there for me before my match against Neji all those years ago!_'

'_Wait…what am I thinking? I can't get together with her! Hinata's a Hyuuga, the heiress in fact, and here I am, nothing more than a genin. There's no way her family would allow us to be together. Then add the fact that they probably think that I'm the Kyuubi, there's no way that they would let us be together! Oh well…I'll tell Hinata everything then let her decide whether she still wants to be with me._'

Just as Naruto was about to leave and head to the Hokage Monument to watch the sun set, he felt a slight tugging in his mind. Curious, Naruto got up from his spot and walked over to the tree that he had sat under with Sakura. Once he was comfortable, he started to meditate, realizing that the pull on his mind could mean only one thing; Kyuubi wanted to talk to him.

_**Inside Naruto's Mind**_

"**Oi, otouto! Get your ass over here! We need to talk!"**

"Hai, hai, coming, coming. What do you want now?"

No one else besides Jiraiya knew that during Naruto's training trip he had befriended Kyuubi. They didn't even tell Tsunade, because if any member of the council found out, then they would most likely try to kill Naruto.

Naruto had realized that the way Kyuubi acted didn't match the way that he was described in the texts; the texts always said that he was a bloodthirsty beast, ready to skewer or roast any shinobi nearby. When Naruto had to ask Kyuubi for charka, he had always seemed willing to do so. Jiraiya believed that Kyuubi was eager to help in order to save his own skin, because if Naruto died then so did he.

Naruto on the other hand, believed that there was another reason behind Kyuubi's eagerness. Maybe it was the way that Kyuubi talked or offered his charka, but Naruto couldn't sense any selfishness or deception in Kyuubi's voice. Naruto was quite skilled at being able to read people's emotions through their words and motions. When he was growing up, he had to be able to tell who he could trust. Sadly, that number of people that he had trusted could be counted on one hand. When he became a shinobi, the number of his trusted people grew exponentially.

At first, Jiraiya had written off Naruto's assumptions as being incorrect, but when Naruto insisted on his assumptions, he had started to believe him. In order to test his skills in reading people's emotions, he had him go to a casino. There, he had Naruto play poker in order to see if he could truly sense deception in a person's voice and body motion. Much to his surprise, Naruto didn't lose a single match. After that, Jiraiya simply believed Naruto. It was very helpful in their journey to have a lie-detector with him.

Thanks to Naruto's persistence, he finally found out the truth behind Kyuubi's attack. Both he and Jiraiya were surprised by Kyuubi's revelations.

_**Flashback (One year into Naruto's training trip)**_

"**What do you want now Kit?"**

"Well…you see…the thing is Kyuubi…eh…"

"**Oi, what's up with you Kit? You never call me 'Kyuubi', you always prefer words such as "Fuzzball" or "Damn Fox". What do you want?"**

"Well, Ero-sennin and I were wondering…why did you attack Konoha thirteen years ago?"

"**Didn't I say that I didn't want to talk about it?"**

"Yes, but…well…if you were innocent like I think you were, then it's up to Ero-sennin and me to clear your name. I mean, it's not fair to have your name tarnished when it wasn't your fault right?"

Of all the reasons that Kyuubi expected Naruto to list in order to hear the reason behind his attack, that reason was never expected that. Not for the first time, Kyuubi was shocked by Naruto's actions.

"**Why should you care? After all, I'm the reason that your life has been a living hell. You should hate me! If our roles were reversed, then I know that I would hate you!"**

"We've been through this already Kyuubi. I can't give in to hate. If I did, I would have turned out like Gaara did, except the numbers of dead villagers and shinobi would have been on a much larger scale. I mean, how many villagers and shinobi did Gaara kill by only using a fraction of Shukaku's power? Think of what would have happened if I used a fraction of _your_ power."

"Also, how could I hate you when you are innocent of the crimes you're accused of?"

"**Kit, I never said I was innocent. What makes you so sure?"**

"You know of my childhood better than anyone else Kyuubi. You of all people…er…beings, should know that I can sense when people are lying or are threatening me."

'_**Amazing…his heart must be truly pure if he is able to see past my mask of being a blood thirsty beast. But then again, if he was able to grow up and still be…mostly sane, I guess that he could see through any mask.'**_

"**Kit, what I am about to say, very few have knowledge of."**

"Ya, ya, just get on with the story Fuzzball."

'_**There's the kit I know, being serious doesn't suit him.'**_

"**First, I'm female."**

"Oh, okay…wait what?! The pictures and stories in the text never described your actions as feminine!"

"**What does it say happened to me?"**

"Touché, touché."

"**Secondly, I am the summon boss of kitsunes."**

"Really?!"

"**You heard me. I am a summon boss."**

"Cool, then that means you're innocent!"

"**How does being a summon boss make me innocent?"**

"A summon doesn't have a choice in what its doing right? Whatever a summoner calls forth, has to do what the summoner tells it to do."

"**Not true Kit, not true. Do you remember the first times that you attempted summoning Gamabunta-sama?"**

"Hey wait a minute! Why do you show ol' 'Bunta-butt respect?"

'_**Damn, I wasn't expecting him to pick up on that…'**_Kyuubi had to think of a response rather quickly in order to keep Naruto from becoming suspicious of her. If he became suspicious of her, then he might not believe her story, and if he didn't believe her story, then she might not obtain the forgiveness she longed for.

"**Another story, for another time, now answer the question."**

"Bah, I bet you're just sore that Gamabunta beat you with the Yondaime back when you attacked. But to answer your question, ya I do remember. He wanted me to…oh…right."

"**Exactly. A summon doesn't have to do what its summoner wants it to do."**

"So…are you saying that you wanted to attack Konoha?"

"**No. I didn't want to attack Konoha, but I was too weak to resist."**

"Resist? What do you mean?"

"**Whenever a summon is called forth from the spirit realm, the summon loses a bit of their self-control. This is done in order for the summoner to be able to get their summon to do their biddings. That means that if you summon a low level summon, it is most likely that it will do whatever you want it to do. The higher level of a summon you call forth, the more will power and resistance it will have towards your commands. When a boss is summoned, the boss will retain almost all of its resistance. This was made in order to prevent a summoner from being able to cause enormous amounts of damage…like what happened to Konoha. Basically, what I'm saying is that boss summons do as they want. Do you remember when you summoned Gamabunta the first two times?"**

"I said yes, didn't I?"

"**The first time you summoned him, you had to stay on the top of his head for the rest of the day before he would make you his subordinate after the two of you shared a drink. When you summoned him to fight Shukaku, at first he refused to fight because you two hadn't shared a drink. However, he did choose to fight with you when Gamakichi told him that you had saved his life. Do you understand now?"**

"…Nope! Could you explain it to me?"

If it had not been beneath her, Kyuubi would have sighed. How the Kit managed to survive all these years was beyond her comprehension. Furthermore, it completely baffled her when Naruto was able to create plans that only became more complex when his life or the life of those precious to him were in danger.

"**Didn't you ever wonder why Gamabunta always seemed so willing to fight with you after that fight? Don't answer that, I already know that you didn't think about it. He chose to listen to you because you earned his respect. You risked your life when you thought that Gamakichi was in danger; if you had let Gamakichi be hit by Gaara's attack, he would have simply been sent back to the spirit realm. However, you decided to risk your life in order to 'save' him…I bet you didn't even realize that Gamakichi couldn't be hurt huh? In short, you earned Gamabunta's respect, so he decided to listen to you. There are very few things that you could do now to lose his respect."**

"So…you said you were a boss summon right?"

"**That is correct Kit, you are far smarter than you let on to be."**

"I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm. Does that mean…that you wanted to attack Konoha?"

"**No…I said I was too weak."**

"But…I thought you said that boss summons don't lose much of their will when they are summoned?"

"**I did. And when I was summoned thirteen years ago, I didn't lose much of my resistance."**

"Then…why?! Why did you attack?!"

"**Like I said, I was too weak. My summoner created a seal, a seal strong enough to make me submit my will. The attack was like a dream…no, a nightmare. I was able to see everything I did, feel every life I took, but I was unable to do anything. My greatest fear was that no one would be able to stop me, and that eventually I would destroy Konoha."**

"**Luckily, someone was able to stop me. Or unluckily in your case."**

"You mean the Yondaime."

"**Yes, the Yondaime. At first, I thought that he would kill me. To this day, I still do not know why he didn't kill me. I know for a fact that he would have been able to have the Shinigami he summoned kill me."**

"Maybe he knew you were innocent, and wanted to give you a second chance? That's what I think anyways."

'_**How is it that he is able to figure that out? It took me years to come to that conclusion.'**_

"**I believe that you are correct. When our battle started, he stared at me with cold eyes, eyes that promised death if I took another step or another life from one of his precious people."**

"**When he looked into my eyes, something changed with him. As our fight continued, it seemed as though he wasn't willing to fight me any more. I was completely baffled, until I saw his eyes. This time, his eyes weren't hard. Rather, they were soft, and filled with compassion. Then, he left the battlefield."**

"**By this time, I was worried. I feared that the Yondaime had abandoned his people to die, while he fled to safety. If he didn't think that he could kill me, then who in Konoha would be able to? However, much to my relief, I was proven wrong."**

"**After an hour or so, he returned to the battlefield to continue where we left off. Only this time, he had something…or rather, someone else with him. When I saw his eyes for the third time, I saw the same compassionate eyes, but there was another emotion there. Sorrow. Sorrow for what he was about to do to you Kit. Then…well, you can figure out what happened next."**

Kyuubi could see that Naruto was saddened by his story. Though he tried his best, Naruto couldn't hide or stop the tears that threatened to overflow from his eyes. Kyuubi, felt ashamed. Even though she didn't show it, she hated to see his container sad. He had truly gotten the short straw when it came to his life.

When Naruto was a child, he had to run from mobs, eat the trash in order to see the next day, sleep in alleys with only a few newspapers to cover him, and for the most part, live in isolation; even the few bums in the alleys didn't want to associate with him. Kyuubi had long ago sworn to herself that she would do whatever she could to help Naruto get what he wanted and do her best to protect him. After all, it was her fault for being weak that Naruto had to suffer.

"**Kit…I am so sorry, so very sorry. If I was stronger, then I would have been able to resist my summoner. I understand if you hate me. Should you decide that you don't want to have anything to do with me from now on, I promise that I won't bother you again."**

"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!"

Naruto's voice first started out devoid of all emotion, but by the end, it was filled with anger. It seemed as though he was trying to burn a hole through the ground, with his hair covering his eyes making it impossible for her to read his emotions in his eyes. However, she was able to notice the change of emotion in his voice.

For some reason, a reason that even Kyuubi herself couldn't understand, she felt terrible. She didn't want to have the Kit…no, _her_ Kit hate her. It was the one thing left that she would do anything to prevent. However, here she was, unable to do a damn thing about it.

"**Kit, please let me say one more thing...Over the years, I've watched you grow. You have grown into a fine shinobi that many strive to become, but few actually become. During this time…I have come to love you as a little brother. Please…don't give in to your hate, don't let it consume you. That is my last request of you. Goodbye."**

"You don't understand do you?" Naruto said with his head still facing the ground, "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't hate you; it's not your fault. Your summoner is to blame, after all it was his command and seal that caused you to attack Konoha. By the way, you never said who your summoner was."

"…**You…don't hate me?"**

"How many times do I have to say it? No, I don't hate you. Besides, if it wasn't for you, I would have died. I can't even count how many times I've survived because you healed me."

"**But if it wasn't for me, then you wouldn't have had to be beaten within an inch of your life by the villagers otouto."**

"I wasn't referring to the mob attacks. I was talking about the time that you healed me in battle, especially when I fought Orochimaru and Sasuke. Besides…I've come to see you as an aneue."

"**Otouto…thank you. You don't know how relieved I am that you don't hate me. Thank you so much. As for who my summoner was…well, he is the causer of many sins… Orochimaru."**

"I don't understand, why did you let Orochimaru of all people sign your summoning contract?"

"**I didn't. I never had a summoning contract. At first, I allowed him to summon me because I was impressed by his strength. He had the knowledge of ninjutsus like his sensei, the Sandaime, but his skills on the battlefield surpassed those of his sensei and teammates. I witnessed him fight during the Iwa-Konoha war, and I was impressed. I decided then and there that I would make a deal with Orochimaru."**

"**Before a summoning contract can be made, the boss summon must first prove that their clan is worthy of becoming summons. In order for this to happen, the boss must take part in a battle alongside their temporary summoner. However, the boss summon is given only once chance to prove their worth in a battle, even if a different summoner is chosen. Then, five summon bosses will form a council and decide whether or not the battle was sufficient enough to allow the boss's clan to become summons. If the battle was not enough to please the council, then the summoner or the boss would have to go through several difficult trials before being accepted. Most often, the trials consisted of the summoner fighting against one or more members of the council."**

"**I was so eager to show the world the power of the Kitsune tribe, that I offered the first strong shinobi that I saw my temporary summoning contract. It was a big mistake to be so hasty. Had I waited before choosing Orochimaru as my summoner, I would probably have chosen the Yondaime or even Tsunade or Jiraiya to become my summoner. But my haste led to my downfall."**

"**If I had listened to the council's warnings regarding my choice of summoners, I would have taken more time to observe Orochimaru before I gave him the temporary contract. But I was far too eager, far too willing to show the world the might of the Kitsune Clan."**

"**Orochimaru immediately agreed. I guess that when he realized that I was a Bijuu, he was willing to do anything to earn my power. He summoned me once for a minor fight, just to see how I fought. Needless to say, he was impressed by my power, but he noticed that I never killed in cold blood. It was then that he realized that I would never submit to his wills should he act on his true desires."**

"**After that fight, I wasn't summoned for quite some time. I was wondering if Orochimaru had forgotten about my temporary summoning contract. Just as I was ready to go look for him and remind him of our deal, he summoned me."**

"**He told me to attack Konoha, but I refused. I knew that if I did attack, then thousands of people would die, not to say that it would not be a battle so much as a massacre. It was then that he used that controlling seal on me. You already know the story of the attack, but what you don't know is what happened after I was sealed inside of you."**

"**After the sealing was complete, my…spirit…was summoned to meet with the five bosses who had been overseeing the creation of the Kitsune summoning contract. Because I had not only failed to show them why the Kitsune clan deserved a summoning contract, but also caused major destruction, they forbid me from becoming a boss summon. In addition, the Kitsune clan became leaderless."**

"**Since I had not died, my clan could not elect a new boss summon to attempt to bring the Kitsune clan to glory. So for sixteen years, the Kitsune clan has been without a true leader within their midst."**

Naruto was slowly thinking over everything that he had heard. It was quite a lot to take in.

"Well, that means you're innocent! And, manipulating you into attacking Konoha is just another crime to add to Orochimaru's list, not to mention another reason to beat him up!"

"**Otouto…listen, if you run into Orochimaru again, I want you to run away. He is far too powerful for you to face now. Wait a few more years before you fight him again."**

"No."

"**What?! What do you mean 'No'?! You are no where near his strength, if you fought him you will surely die! What type of sister would I be if I let you die in a battle that you can not win?!"**

"I said I'm not going to run away. I swore that I would never run away back on our mission to Wave. I'm not going to back down now."

"**Damn it otouto, this isn't about your pride! It's about your life. Your damn **_**LIFE**_**!"**

"Look, I just said I'm not going to run away. Listen to my reasons before you go on another rant."

"Right now, Orochimaru has no reason to come after me. So, if I do run into him by chance, he'll probably leave me alone, because he doesn't have time to waste on me. Besides, he knows that if he kills or captures me Akatsuki will attack him for interfering with his plans."

"But, if I do end up engaging him, it won't be because I'm itching for a fight. It'll be to defend Konoha and my precious people."

Kyuubi was amazed at Naruto's words. After all he had been through, he was still willing to die for a village that scorned and hated him. Maybe…maybe he could be the _one…_no, she shouldn't think of that.

"**All right, you win otouto. You win. If you do fight him though, don't be afraid to ask me for my charka all right?"**

"Gotcha…thanks for everything aneue."

_**End Flashback **_

"Watcha want now aneue? I'm kinda busy."

"**Nothing much…just wanted to say that I'm proud of the way that you handled that situation with you new sister. I was surprised that you didn't come ask me for advice!"**

"Ya, ya, ya. So, what did you _really_ want?"

'_**Damn, he's getting really good at reading me…well…better would be more appropriate.'**_

"**Nothing."**

"Right…now tell me or else I'll go eat as much ramen as I can!"

Kyuubi hated ramen. Well, she didn't hate ramen itself, she hated how much of it that Naruto ate. It was always a challenge to destroy all of the byproducts that ramen created. In fact, if she hadn't destroyed all of the harmful byproducts, Naruto would probably have died from malnutrition.

It wasn't entirely his fault though. After all, Naruto wasn't a very good cook, and the only thing he could buy at stores besides spoiled milk and rotten fruits and vegetables was instant ramen. Plus, there was the fact that the only restaurant that served Naruto _edible_ food was Ichirakus.

"**Fine, fine, you win. I just got lonely okay? When was the last time we had some time to bond?"**

At this point, Naruto became very ashamed of himself. He of all people should have known what loneliness was, how painful it was. How many times had he debated whether being stuck by a Chidori in the chest was more painful than being plagued by loneliness during his training trip? The answer always came out the same; loneliness was by far the more painful of the two. Every day that he came back to his apartment, whether it was from training or a mission, he entered an empty and vandalized apartment. There was never anyone there to welcome him home or ask him how his day was. He had never entered his apartment to find a hot meal waiting for him…and worst of all, there was no one to comfort him when he was plagued by his nightmares. Until his training trip that was.

After he had his talk with Kyuubi, she had stepped up to the plate to become a caring older sister, and did a spectacular job. She was always there to talk to him when he was discouraged or sad or just lonely. When he woke up from his nightmares, she was there to comfort him and mentally rock him back to sleep. No matter what happened, she was always there to help him. When he fell, she was there to pick him up.

While she was performing her job as a sister with spectacular success, here he was, failing pitifully in his brotherly duties. He had never done anything for her, and he felt terrible. Weren't brothers the ones that were supposed to take care of their sisters? How could he not have helped the one person who helped him when others could not?

"Eh…sorry about that, I've been kinda busy lately."

"**I know, I know. I'm just trying to give you a hard time."**

"Oh…that was mean of you! How about a game of shougi?"

The two of them started to play the game. During his training trip, Naruto had realized (with the help of Kyuubi) that shougi was a game of strategy. Every move could be related to a battle. With that in mind, he started to play like mad. After a while, his battle plans started to become even more effective than before.

"**Well otouto, you should probably be heading home now. Sleep tight." **

"Wait…I got something to ask you."

"**Yes?"**

"You mentioned that the five summon bosses on the council refused to allow you to become a boss summon correct?"

"**Right on otouto."**

"How do you contact them?"

"**A long and complicated process. But why do you want to know?"**

"Aneue…with your permission, I would like to become your temporary summoner."

"**What?! No!!!! Proving our worth on the battlefield is much easier than the trials that we will have to go through. There is a high chance that you will die during these trials!"**

"I don't care. You deserve to become a boss summon, that way I'll be able to summon you out and let you stretch your legs every so often. Also…in the coming times I will need your power, both yours and the Kitsune clans'."

"**You already have the power of the toads."**

"True, but if the times ahead are as dark as Ero-sennin and I fear, then we will need all the help we can get. Besides, what if there is a large battle, and Ero-sennin and I were separated and we both need the power of a summon boss?"

"**You're talking about the information you managed to gather on Oto aren't you?"**

"Yes. If the information is true, then the coming battles will soak the ground with blood."

"**Fine, you win. I'll arrange a meeting with the bosses that were in charge of my contract, but there are a few things that you need to know first."**

"Okay. What?"

"**When you contact the council, only your spirit will go to the spirit realm, leaving you in a comatose state. That means that your physical body will be vulnerable to attack. Should someone cause enough damage to your body that would kill you, then you will die."**

"**Another thing that I have to tell you is that during your trials, at least one of them will be a fight, that much I can guarantee you. So, before you meet the council, make sure you are fully rested."**

"Wait…if I'm in a fight with my spirit body, will my physical body take damage too?" 

"**I was getting to that. The answer is yes, which is why you are allowed to have a iryo-nin or two by your physical body to heal it. Though your physical body will be healed, the damages will still be felt by your spirit body. For example, if your leg is broken during the fight, a iryo-nin is allowed to heal your broken leg. For the remainder of the fight, your leg will still feel and respond to your commands as if it were broken. When you return to your body though, your leg will function normally."**

"**Finally, this will be the first time that a summoner and summon boss has ever contacted the council. Before, the council always contacted the pair on the mortal plane. When you enter the spirit realm…"** Naruto was suddenly pulled out of his mindscape when he felt a sharp pain on his right arm. Looking down, he saw that a small one tailed red kit was the cause of his pain.

Naruto was used to being interrupted by kitsunes; somehow, they were able to tell that he held Kyuubi inside of him. He wasn't sure what to think of that; kitsunes were able to distinguish between the Kyuubi and himself, while his fellow humans, supposedly the smartest animals around, were not.

During his training trip, kitsunes would often run up to him hoping to play or asking for his help. In return, they acted as his spies for him. It annoyed Jiraiya to no end that Naruto's kitsunes seemed to be able to pick up vital information before his own network was able to; he was also annoyed that Naruto was the only one who could understand the barks and growls of the little animals.

For one to run up to him while he was in Konoha, a place where most kitsunes tended to stay away from due to the overwhelming hatred of all kitsunes, meant that something very important must have happened.

"Kyuubi-samma! Naruto-samma! I bring dire news!"

-------------------------------

Tsunade was not happy. She was currently in her office with Jiraiya discussing the information that Jiraiya had gathered during Naruto's training trip. According to the information, Orochimaru had gathered an army. While the army wasn't big enough to attack Konoha and win, there was still the fact that Orochimaru had contacted other villagers with plans for an alliance was more than enough reason to worry.

"Jiraiya, how long do you think we have until Orochimaru will attack?"

"Based on the information on hand, I would say nine months or so. Orochimaru's plans aren't complete, and we both now that he will never make a move unless his plans are complete, along with a backup plan. Besides, he'll probably want to gather more nuke-nin to join Oto before attacking us."

"So we have nine months to bolster our defenses before a large scale attack, one that will likely be larger and more deadly than the previous one, takes place? Do you think we'll have enough time to prepare?"

"Probably, if we start preparing now, but we have to make sure that we keep knowledge of the attack secret. If Orochimaru finds out that we have knowledge of his plans, he'll put off the invasion and change his plans. A surprise attack would be even worse for us. But trying to keep knowledge of his attack a secret will make preparing Konoha even more difficult. I'm sure he has spies watching our every move, and if he notices that we are increasing our defenses, then he'll know that we know of his attack."

"Damn. That makes things even more difficult. What do you suggest we do?"

"Dunno. Why are you asking me? You're the Hokage, not me."

Tsunade's eye started twitching. She knew that Jiraiya had already thought up of a plan, otherwise he wouldn't be so carefree. Perverted her teammate may be, but she could never accuse him of abandoning his duty as a shinobi to Konoha. Jiraiya was probably just waiting to hear Tsunade beg him for help.

"Jiraiya …if you don't come up with a plan, then I swear, I'll castrate you in the slowest method known to man."

Jiraiya gulped. The hard glint in Tsunade's eyes told him that she wasn't joking. Jiriaya loved to get Tsunade mad; it was like a game to him. You could never tell how far you would be able to push her, until she retaliated. Then, it got painful. Unknown to anyone, even to his favorite…well _only_ student, Jiraiya had a special place in his heart for his teammate.

Truth be told, he was devastated when Tsunade started going out with Dan. The only reason that Jiraiya had been such a pervert was because Sarutobi-sensei was a…closet pervert to use Naruto's description of him, and he realized that by writing Icha Icha, he was being praised for something that Orochimaru could never, ever do. While Jiraiya had loved the attention and praise it earned him from Sarutobi-sensei, he hated the fact that it got Tsunade angry with him. Essentially, it was a double-edged sword. He got the respect from his sensei, but got nothing but anger from his teammate.

When Jiraiya had realized that Tsunade was getting serious with Dan, he started using his novels to escape from reality; he wanted a way to run from the fact that Tsunade, a women that he had admired and loved from their genin days, was out of his hands.

Then, Nawaki and Dan had died. After their deaths, Tsunade was never the same. It pained Jiraiya that Tsunade wouldn't let him hug her when she so desperately needed affection. She just thought that Jiraiya was trying to grope her. That was one of the first times that he had cursed his novels, because if he had never wrote them, then Tsunade would have let him hug her.

After Tsunade left, Jiraiya left too. Everyone was under the impression that Jiraiya left because Yondaime had died. That was a lie though, and only Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sensei knew the real reason that he had left. He left in order to watch over Tsunade and make sure that she didn't do anything she would regret.

Jiraiya hated the fact that Tsunade became such a heavy drinker and that she loved to gamble despite the fact that she lost almost every game. Originally, he had planned on ending his series in order to keep his full attention on her, but he realized that he needed a source of income to support both himself and Tsunade. He couldn't count the number of times that he had sneaked into whatever hotel Tsunade was at and leave her a wad of money in her wallet.

Over time, Jiraiya managed to push his feelings for Tsunade away…or at least that's what he told himself. He knew that as long as he kept up his pervert mask, he wouldn't stand a chance of getting together with Tsunade. As time went on, Jiraiya stayed hidden behind his mask while Tsunade kept on trying to run away from her past. Now that he thought of it, Orochimaru was the only one who managed to live for the future. Tsunade tried to drink her problems away, the Sandaime always lived in the past, wondering what would have happened if he had killed Orochimaru, and he had hid behind a mask. It was pitiful that only the nuke-nin of their team managed to go on with his life.

Eventaully, Jiraiya had to give up on his dreams of ever entering into a relationship with Tsunade. After all, they were both far too old to be dating. Jiraiya told himself that he had to be satisfied as Tsunade's unknown and unacknowledged guardian angel. He should have realized that he was lying to himself.

When Jiraiya had returned to Konoha to talk to his sensei, he was distraught that he was somehow tricked into training Naruto for a month before the end of the Chunin exams. He had never before spent so much time away from Tsunade, and honestly, he was worried about her. He had to focus on Naruto's training in order to keep his mind off of Tsunade. It took all of his willpower not to check on Tsunade while he was training Naruto. He told himself that Tsunade would be fine, she was traveling with Shizune, a Jounin, and she would be more than capable of taking care of Tsunade.

After his sensei's death, Jiraiya only had one thing to be thankful for; he was going to go "look" for Tsunade and ask her to become Hokage. Though he was well aware of Tsunade's feelings regarding Konoha, he had a sliver of hope that she would come back. After all, after spending one month with Naruto, he had realized that the boy had a power that very few had. He was able to change the hearts of all those around him, as long as they were smart enough to see past the Kyuubi.

When he saw Tsunade give Naruto a kiss on the forehead, he was instantly filled with jealousy. Next, he was amused with himself. Here he was, an accomplished shinobi, a legend among all Hidden Villages, and he was jealous of a relatively unknown genin.

Jiraiya had wanted to thank Naruto for being able to change Tsunade's heart, but he didn't know how. He had already taught him the strongest jutsu he knew, the Rasengan, and given him a summoning contract. However, he still felt that he should give him something else. After all, Naruto had united the two things that Jiraiya would give his life for-Konoha and Tsunade.

When Jiraiya was told that he had to take Naruto on a three year training trip, he was devastated. He was happy that he would be able to teach Naruto everything he knew and keep his newest precious person alive, but he would be unable to be with his _most_ precious person. Jiraiya realized that she would be safe in Konoha. After all, she was the Hokage, meaning that she would be getting a rather large pay check and she would be protected by ANBU all the time.

He also realized that he would be able to use his toad summons to keep in constant contact. When Naruto asked him why he was contacting Konoha so often, he simply told him that Tsunade was worried about his safety due to being a jinchuuruki. As proof to Naruto's increasing knowledge, he then asked if it would be safer if they didn't send out so many messages. Jiraiya responded by telling him that while Tsunade called him a brat and hit him around, that she actually saw him as her little brother, or even her son. That had shut up the brat pretty quick.

During their training trip, Jiraiya had finally found out how to repay Naruto. At first, he had decided to tell Naruto that the Rasengan was an incomplete jutsu, and that he could still add in his element to it. However, before he had told him, Naruto created the Odama Rasengan, something that Jiraiya wasn't sure that _he_ could do.

Jiraiya was cut out of his musings when he felt Tsunade directing her killing intent at him.

"Okay, okay, I think I got a plan."

"Well out with it!"

"Send a few shinobi teams out of Konoha on 'training missions' every month. That way, while we have fewer shinobi in the village, we have a valid reason to be increasing our security."

"Brilliant…and while the teams are out, they can be gathering information or actually training. Good idea Jiraiya!"

"One more thing. The teams that Naruto graduated, along with Gai's team are considered to have the most potential that Konoha has seen in years, right?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well, if we have roughly nine months before an attack, I suggest that you assign each of the teams out for a two-month intense training trip. Then for one month, have all four teams get together and work on teamwork. If we can get them to be able to function as well as they do in their three-man teams, then who knows how well they can work as a twelve-man team?"

"Good idea. Shizune, get in here!"

Shizune came into the office, holding Ton-ton between her arms.

"Yes Tsunade-sama? Please don't tell me you want some more sake, you just had some an hour ago…"

"No sake this time. I need you to get Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai, and Yamato and have them meet me in my office in an hour. And tell Kakashi if he doesn't show up on time, then Jiraiya will be in no condition to write Icha Icha Paradise anymore."

"Yes Tsunade-sama, I'll go get them now."

----------------------------------------

An hour later all four senseis (well, temporary in Yamato's case, seeing as he was only taking charge of Team 8 until Kurenai had her baby) were outside Tsunade's office.

Gai, never one for silence, was the first to speak.

"Rival Kakashi, what has happened to you?"

"Eh…what do you mean Gai?"

"You are on time! The flames of youth must have finally been rekindled in your body!"

"Sure Gai, sure."

Kurenai decided to stop their conversation before Gai could go on another one of his rants about "The Flames of Youth".

"Any of you know why we were gathered here?"

"Nope, do you have any idea Kakashi-senpai?"

"No idea Yamato. I don't think any of us here have any idea."

Before their conversation could continue, Shizune walked out of Tsunade's office.

"You may now come in."

"I am sorry to have had to call you all in on such short notice, but there is a grave issue that I must address here," Tsunade said, facing the four jounin, while Jiraiya stood next to the window.

As Shizune turned to leave, she was stopped by Tsunade's voice.

"Shizune, you may stay here. And please close the door."

After closing the door, Jiraiya ran through several hand seals, which the gathered jounin recognized as a privacy jutsu, one that would create an invisible barrier around the office that wouldn't allow anyone outside the barrier to hear what was being said. What they didn't recognize, was a seal that Jiraiya drew on the floor.

After completing his drawing, Jiraiya slammed his right hand down in the center of the seal, and pushed some of his chakra through his hand. The seal reacted immediately, and started to glow a light blue color.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow after examining the seal.

"New seal Jiraiya?"

"Yup, it reinforces the privacy jutsu. This way, if someone does manage to pierce the privacy jutsu, there's a secondary seal to block our conversation."

"When did you create it?"

"During Naruto's training trip…and um…well, I didn't really create it."

"You _stole_ it?! What the hell were you thinking?! I thought I told you to keep a low profile!"

"No damn it! I'm not a thief! Naruto created it all right? Jeez…"

Tsunade had to stifle a laugh.

"Naruto created something that you use? Hahaha, you're pitiful Jiraiya."

"Hey, have you seen his Odama Rasengan or even his Rasenshuriken? I didn't make those either, and those two jutsus alone are probably some of the strongest in Konoha."

"As much as I'm enjoying your lovers' quarrel," Kakashi interrupted before Tsunade could retort, "I would like to know why we were summoned."

After both Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at Kakashi, Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Jiraiya has come across some rather…disturbing information. In approximately nine months, Orochimaru will attack Konoha."

After hearing her words, all the jounin in the room stiffened. The last time Orochimaru had attacked, the results had been devastating. None of them wanted to lose another Hokage.

"Why are you telling us? Shouldn't you be telling the council?"

"I will Kakashi, I will. But first, I have something I need to tell you guys. Since all of your teams are widely recognized as some of the finest shinobi that Konoha has seen in years, each of your teams will be going on a two-month training trip. Yamato, I want you to take Team 8 first. Kakashi, I want you to go with Team 10 after that, then Gai's team. When Gai's team is done, Kakashi, you will go back out with Sai, Sakura, and Naruto as Team 7. For the ninth month, I want all of your teams to meet up and work on teamwork as one group."

"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, I would like to know why I am not heading out with my team."

"Kurenai, you're pregnant. If I sent you out, the unnecessary and excessive motion may harm your child. That is not a risk that I am willing to see. However…since you have been their sensei for three years, I will allow you to accompany them for half of their two-month training trip."

"Thank you Hokage-sama, I'll take you up on that offer."

"Hokage-sama, where will we be training?"

"Gai, that is entirely up to you, as long as you are _outside_ Konoha."

"May I ask why?"

"In addition to improving the skills of some of our most talented shinobi, it is a ruse Kakashi."

"A ruse Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Yamato. Your teams will be the only teams going on two month training trips, but I will be sending out other teams on shorter training trips. If we have more shinobi out of the village, then we will have an excuse to strengthen our defenses. This way, if Orochimaru has any spies within our midst, he will not know that we know of his plans."

"By the way, I don't want Naruto to know that there will be an invasion."

"Why not Hokage-sama?"

"Well Kakashi, you know how he is. If he realizes that Orochimaru is attacking then he will focus all of his energy on trying to get Sasuke to return to Konoha. Right now, Naruto is one of, if not the, strongest of the rookies. He would use his training time to learn how to beat the sharingan instead of how to beat Oto shinobi in general. If we allowed him to focus on only Sasuke, then it would be a waste of his skill."

Tsunade noticed that all of the jounin present in her office seemed to agree with her because she saw them nod their heads. However, one person in the room did not nod his head. In fact, that person seemed to be a bit nervous and rather…uncomfortable.

"Jiraiya, mind telling me why you're so nervous all of a sudden?"

"Not really, no."

"Oh, but I insist. After all, even you have enough common sense not to tell Naruto about the upcoming invasion…right?"

"Look…the thing is…"

"Out with it pervert!"

"Okay, okay, don't lose your temper, it's not good for you to be that angry at your…our age. But…back to the point, ya, Naruto knows about the invasion."

"Why would you tell him that?! You and I both know what'll happen!"

"Hey, I didn't tell him."

"You expect me to believe you?"

"I didn't tell him about the invasion, he told _me_."

Everybody in the room went silent upon hearing Jiraiya's confession.

"Come on Jiraiya, you're telling me that Naruto, your student a simple genin, had to tell you, the sensei one of the Sannin, information?"

"Damn it Tsunade, you don't even know how complex his spy network is! He has contacts in every village and at every location that would be useful to any enemies if they were to stage an attack on Konoha."

"So you're telling me, that after three years, his spy network is more complex and much more effective than _your_ spy network which has been in existence for almost five times as long?"

"Basically yes. But he also goes in to gather information on his own."

"How does he do that? I know for certain that he's in the Bingo Book for most of the Hidden Villages. His face is kinda hard to forget, especially because he has those whisker marks. I doubt that many shinobi would forget his face."

"You've never seen his Orokie no Jutsu, have you?"

"You mean to say…that Naruto uses his Orokie no Jutsu to gather information?"

"Right on Kurenai, that's exactly what he does. And since his…feminine form is extremely…detailed, most shinobi's jaws loosen…a lot."

"Well, at least that jutsu of his is giving him good results for once."

"What do you mean Tsunade?"

Jiraiya was trying to figure out why she said that Naruto's jutsu was giving him good results for _once_. After all, his jutsu was the reason (or so Naruto thought) that he had decided to train him.

"You never bothered to ask him why he invented that jutsu did you, Jiraiya? Did any of you ask him why he made it?" After seeing everybody shake their heads in denial, Tsunade continued.

"Despite what Naruto claims, he always has a good reason for everything he does. He just doesn't like to tell people the real reason behind his actions. In order to get a full answer, not only does he have to trust you, but you have to care enough to ask him."

"Naruto created a…predecessor…to what is now known as Orokie no Jutsu. Basically, it was just an extremely detailed henge; in all reality, it was his Orokie no Jutsu, but with clothes."

"He used the invention in order to buy food. Naruto told me that he noticed that girls got treated better than boys, so for a while he thought that people hated him because he was a boy. So he decided to walk around as a girl."

"Eventually, sensei realized what was going on. He managed to convince Naruto that walking around as a girl wasn't the best idea. Could you imagine what some of the villagers or shinobi would do to Naruto if they realized that he was walking around henged as a girl?"

"So from then on, Naruto just used his jutsu to buy food that is actually edible and at regular prices instead of what he is normally charged. Later, he upgraded it to Orokie no Jutsu. Why he decided to do it, I still don't know."

Kakashi felt terrible. He had never bothered to see why Naruto had felt the need to create that jutsu. At first, he had just believed him when he said that he just invented the jutsu for laughs. Not for the first time, Kakashi asked himself what type of sensei he was. After all, wasn't he the one who taught them to 'look underneath the underneath?'

And here he was, not even bothering to get to know the real Naruto, the Naruto that so very few knew.

Before anyone could ask anymore questions, the seal on the floor started to glow brighter.

"Jiraiya, what's going on?"

"Someone is attempting to enter this room. The seal glows brighter to warn us that someone is going to enter this room. However, it still glows blue."

"So? What does that mean?"

"This intruder intends no harm to any of us…if there was even an ounce of killing intent in the intruder, then the seal would glow red. Don't ask me how Naruto made it do that, but it does."

All the shinobi in the room readied themselves for action. They formed a circle around Tsunade, willing to protect her at all costs, even at the cost of their lives. The shinobi could feel a strong chakra presence approaching, and rather quickly too. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Yamato suddenly relaxed. The other shinobi just stared at them.

"Well? False alarm pervert?"

"No. The 'intruder' is just a friend. I don't know why he's here now though. Normally, he likes to watch the sunset."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Just wait and see Tsunade, wait and see."

Before Tsunade had time to order Jiraiya to tell her who was coming, she heard the sound of glass shattering. Turning towards her window, or what was left of her window, she saw Naruto kneeling on the ground, panting heavily with glass shards all around him.

"Gaki, what the hell do you think you're doing?! You're paying for that window you know!"

Before Naruto could respond, Jiraiya decided to get his two cents in.

"Good job Gaki! You finally realized to smash through the window with your feet first and not your shoulder. Remember what happened last time? That was funny stuff!"

"Shut…huff up…Jiraiya-sensei," Jiraiya immediately stiffened up, "this…huff is serious…"

"You just barged into a private meeting, so I hope it is important!"

"It is...huff Hokage-sama…it is."

"Well? Out with it!"

Before she could continue on with her rant, Jiraiya covered her mouth with his hand.

"Easy there Tsunade, calm down. Naruto has something very important to tell us. Let him catch his breathe first."

"Oh, and how do you know what he has to say is important?! You two develop a thought sharing jutsu too?" Tsunade was a bit more than peeved that Naruto had broken her window.

"Easy, first he used respectful titles with our names, when was the last time he called you 'Hokage-sama'? The last time he called me Jiraiya-sensei…well, he…uh…saved my life."

After Jiraiya's explanation, all of the shinobi in the room waited for Naruto to catch his breathe. Kakashi simply couldn't believe his ears. This was the first time that he had ever heard Naruto use honorifics for the two loyal sannin.

"Thanks sensei. Well anyways, I got some really bad news."

"Well? What is it Naruto?"

"Hokage-sama…Iwa and Kumo have entered into an alliance with Oto."

"What?! How do you know?!"

"Hokage-sama, I trained for three years with Jiraiya-sensei, did you think that I wouldn't set up my own spy network? Or did he leave out that part because he's jealous of how successful it is?"

"Very well…thank you for the information Naruto-kun. I'll give you a bonus the next time you complete a mission and pick up your pay."

"That's not all Hokage-sama…Akatsuki has also decided to help Orochimaru."

"What?!"

--------------------------------

iryo-nin: medical shinobi

This is my first story, so please review! Let me know what you think!


	2. The Misunderstanding

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, my stories wouldn't be here. They would be the actual manga…or not. Who knows?

Author's Notes: It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a monster! Really! No seriously, it's a monster! This chapter I mean. It is literally as big as a monster. I didn't realize that it would be this long, and I couldn't really find a good spot to cut it off at.

First off, let me apologize for how long it took me to get this posted. I didn't even realize that it had been almost three months since I last updated. School, work, college applications, and everything else going on in my life really didn't give me much time to work on this. Fortunately, college applications are done, so I should have more time to write, meaning that updates _should_ be coming sooner. I'm not going to make any promises though.

Secondly, to myrthill, sorry it took so long to answer your questions. Here are the answers:

_Why is Kyuubi a she? _In this story, I wanted Kyuubi to love Naruto like a brother or sister. For a while, I was even contemplating a parent-child relationship, but I decided to let someone else fill that role. If you can't guess who that is, you'll see soon enough. But I digress; since I wanted Kyuubi to be in that "loving role", I decided to make her female. After all, females express their feelings much more often than males do, so I made Kyuubi female.

_Will you make Yondaime as Naruto's father as in the manga?_ You'll see. Naruto looks just like Minato, so I don't think I could bring myself to change his heritage.

Thirdly, I need to address a little mistake I made in regards to the summary. I wrote down that Hinata is getting married. That's jumping the gun a bit…so let's just forget I wrote that, eh? Go check out the new summary…or not, it doesn't really matter.

Finally, some acknowledgements need to be made. You guys should go check out **CrimsonCat101**. _She_ writes some awesome fics, and I drew some inspiration from _her_ stories. You should also check out **Naruto 21** if you haven't already; I do beta work for him, and his stories are great. Finally, I'd like to thank **Cecily-Chan** for writing _"Grown Out of You"_. A certain chapter in that story had me thinking how a certain outcome could happen, and well things just went from there. I started thinking of how cool a scene it would be, and I just had to write it. So here I am, writing the rest of the story just for that one scene. Enough of my rambles though, enjoy chapter two.

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self Talk**"

'_**Demon Thoughts**_'

Last Time:

"Thanks sensei. Well anyways, I got some really bad news."

"Well? What is it Naruto?"

"Hokage-sama…Iwa and Kumo have entered into an alliance with Oto."

"What?! How do you know?!"

"Hokage-sama, I trained for three years with Jiraiya-sensei, did you think that I wouldn't set up my own spy network?"

"Very well…thank you for the information Naruto-kun. I'll give you a bonus the next time you complete a mission and pick up your pay."

"That's not all Hokage-sama…Akatsuki has also decided to help Orochimaru."

"What?!"

--

Begin:

Chapter 2: The Misunderstanding

"What do you mean Akatsuki is helping Orochimaru?!"

"Hokage-sama, think about it. There are very few jinchuuriki left, and I'm the container of the most powerful bijuu of all. How much easier would it be to capture me if I'm exhausted after fighting a force made up of shinobi from three different villages than if they were to attempt to capture me on a regular day?"

"Damn. What I want to know how Orochimaru managed to get Iwa and Kumo to ally with him."

"Isn't it a bit obvious Jiraiya-sensei?"

"What do you mean Naruto?"

"Well, think about it Kurenai-san. Iwa has always hated Konoha after their defeat years ago. They would love nothing more than to destroy Konoha, because in their eyes, it is the only way for them to get revenge on the Yondaime Hokage. Since the Yondaime is already dead, they want to hurt the Yondaime the only way they can-by destroying that which he gave his life for."

"As for Kumo, well, Kumo has always wanted to get their hands on the Byakugan. It'll be really easy for them to capture a Hyuuga during a fight. Hell, they could even take the corpse of a main house member after a fight. I mean, it's not like we'll be doing body checks during the middle of a battle, much less a war right?"

"Wow, I'm surprised Naruto, you thought things through pretty well huh?"

"Hokage-sama, I'm in charge of my own spy network, which is just as, if not better, than Jiraiya-sensei's. I have to be able to think things through."

"Okay Naruto, since you're already here, I would like to inform you that you will be going on a two month training trip with your team. Would you mind spreading the word?"

"I already know about the training trip, and I want to have a week off."

"What? Why not Gaki? You were the one who suggested it in the first place!"

After hearing Jiraiya's statement, Tsunade's eyebrow started twitching. She had thought that Jiraiya had come up with the idea, not Naruto.

"Jiraiya, are you telling me that Naruto came up with the idea for the training trip?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, since he's doing a much better job than you are why don't I just switch your ranks?"

"Hehe…Tsunade, you don't want to do that….Imagine how much more time I would have to spend at the hot springs if I was a Genin!"

"Hmmm…too true. Fine. What do you need a week off for anyways Naruto?"

"I need to go to Wave country. Got some stuff to do there."

"What type of stuff?"

"Sorry Hokage-sama, but I don't want to answer that. Let me put it this way, if I manage to pull it off, the war will be much easier to fight. If it doesn't work, I don't want to get your hopes up for nothing."

"Fine, you're all dismissed. When you're ready for your trip, just come and tell me first got it? "

"Actually, I'd like to leave as soon as possible. I just need to pack before I leave. What I have in mind will take quite a bit of preparation."

"Well, if it'll help us in the upcoming battles, then fine. Go ahead, and don't get hurt okay?"

"I'll do my best to stay safe. Arigato Hokage-sama."

Kakashi watched as Naruto left Tsunade's office using the door this time. He couldn't help but swell with pride as he realized how far Naruto had gone since his unofficial graduation. He wasn't just a fresh Genin whose main attack strategy was to create hundreds of Kage Bunshin and overwhelm his opponent. No, he was far from it. If his suspicions were correct, then Naruto's skills that he had shown during their latest mission to Suna were only a fraction of what had learned during his three-year training trip with Jiraiya. It would seem that his student had finally realized the importance of hiding one's skill level.

The silver-haired Jounin couldn't help but wonder if Jiraiya was a miracle worker. After all, Naruto hadn't been able to learn anything under his methods. During the training period between the second and third parts of the Chunin Exams, Sasuke learned Gai's taijutsu style, Chidori, and numerous Katon jutsus. During the same time period, Naruto had learned…

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Kakashi realized that he didn't _know_ what Naruto had learned. Even now, three years later he didn't know what Naruto had did during the month. He had just told Ebisu to train him, and left it at that.

That was careless of him…an act of unforgivable negligence, that could have been much worse. If Ebisu hadn't trained Naruto…Neji may have killed him. Back then, Kakashi had thought that Kyuubi's chakra would protect him. He thought that Naruto would have instantly used Kyuubi's chakra, just like he did on the bridge in Wave. What he didn't realize, until their mission to save the Kazekage, was that he didn't _want_ to use it.

And if Neji hadn't killed him, then Gaara would have killed him. Without a doubt it was thanks to Sasuke's Chidori that his Genin were able to survive. Even now Kakashi didn't know the details of their fight. He couldn't ask Sakura or Naruto because that would mean bringing up Sasuke, and that would not be a good idea. Asking the Kazekage would be…awkward to say the least. So Kakashi had to imagine how the fight went. Naruto provided the distraction with his Kage Bunshin, Sakura threw the occasional kunai, and Sasuke utilized Naruto's distraction to use Chidori on Gaara. After all, that was the only jutsu that any of his Genin knew that would harm Gaara.

'_Sensei would be so disappointed in me. He never played favorites, yet I did. I claimed to have learned so much from him, but it seems as though I never put any of those lessons to use. Well…no more. I will no longer neglect Naruto. I will train him, like a sensei should.' _

"Shizune, gather all the Council. Tell them that it's an emergency."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

"The rest of you go get some rest or pack for your training trip. Dismissed."

As the remaining Jounin left the Hoake's office, Tsunade sighed. She wasn't in the mood to tell the Council that there would be another invasion.

"Come on Jiraiya, we need to tell the Council of the invasion.

--

_Trapped inside a broken world  
Condemned, fallen  
Now you are home  
A drought ridden spirit  
Useless fear is sought again  
For the next self-induced fall  
Dreams discarded  
Spiraling into depression  
Spiraling into depression  
Still you cannot bear all this pain  
Still you cannot bear to walk away  
Darkness still rips silently within  
Still you cannot bear all the shame  
Alone in your circle of despair  
Your dreams are discarded  
Clinging to a sterile existence  
Self-pity and lingering grief  
Depleted and beaten  
Nailed to insecurities  
Life's forfeit and no longer your own  
The day becomes night  
Still you cannot bear all this pain  
Still you cannot bear to walk away  
Darkness still rips silently within  
Still you cannot bear all the shame_**1**_  
_

Hinata was silently sobbing at her favorite training field, which just so happened to be the field where she had confronted Naruto before his match against Neji in the Chunin Exams. It was here, that he had told her that he liked people like her. It was here, that she had felt that after all her years of longing for Naruto that she finally had a chance to be with him.

But now, she knew that her dream of getting together with Naruto was forever crushed. Naruto was with Sakura, the girl that he had chased after for years. Once again, Hinata was left behind in the dust.

Kurenai was walking to her house after she left the Hokage's office. She always enjoyed walking through the training grounds, the grounds always had shinobi training, yet it still managed to maintain a sense of tranquility.

As she was continuing her walk, she started to think of Asuma. Oh, how she missed him. He hadn't been gone for long, yet it still felt like an eternity to her. She was so afraid that something would happen to their unborn baby, and then she would lose her only connection to him.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she noticed Hinata sobbing on one of the training fields. At first, Kurenai was confused; she didn't know why Hinata was crying. Before, Kurenai would often find a sobbing Hinata at the training field, back when her father still insulted her. But when Hinata became a student of Hokage-sama's, and the results were very promising, the insults died down. Now, they were replaced with praise.

Back when Hinata had just become a Genin, Hiashi had often looked at his eldest daughter with disgust in his eyes. Now, they were often filled with praise. Kurenai was greatly confused. It hurt her so much to see someone that she thought of as a daughter cry when she had finally been acknowledged by her father.

"Hinata-chan, what's wrong?"

"O-oh…i-it's n-nothing, Kurenai-sensei. D-don't worry a-about m-me."

There it was again. Kureani was so proud of her student. No matter how bad Hinata was feeling, she would always try to shield her true feelings from everyone else. Just like another blonde-haired shinobi.

Very few shinobi were able to stay alive and still be compassionate. Often, shinobi would choose to "kill their heart" in order to stay sane. Otherwise, the life of a shinobi would overwhelm those.

Shinobi who chose to keep their emotions, often found themselves in difficult situations. How is a shinobi supposed to be compassionate when they are assigned an assassination mission?

Hinata was the only Genin on her team that kept her heart intact. That is not to say that Shino and Kiba were heartless, not at all. It was just that during missions they chose to "temporarily kill their heart". Hinata, chose to keep her heart whole whether on a mission or not. Though Kurenai had only gone on a few missions with Naruto, she knew that he always kept his heart whole.

Kurenai was amazed that Naruto managed to turn out so sane and…optimistic despite his burden. She knew that if she was in his place, she would have killed anyone who messed with her. But being a genjutsu specialist meant that she was extremely skilled in reading people's true emotions.

For example, she knew that Naruto wore his smiles as a mask. He wasn't depressed or anything, he just wasn't completely happy. All of his laughs and smiles were so hollow; they lacked the warmth that is emitted when someone is truly happy.

Kurenai had to admit that Naruto's skills were amazing. She knew that while Kakashi may have detected that Naruto was wearing a mask, he didn't know how far it ran. That just proved Naruto's skill at keeping up his mask. Being able to trick one's sensei is no easy feat…either that or Kakashi was an incompetent sensei. Kureani decided to believe in Naruto's skill.

Other than Tsunade and Jiraiya, Kureani believed that the only other person who knew how far Naruto's façade ran was Hinata. After all, the girl was in love with him. Kurenai had decided long ago to do whatever she could to make the two a couple.

When Kurenai had first realized who the object of Hinata's affection was, she was slightly worried. She had come to care for Hinata as a daughter, and she didn't want Hinata to be in a relationship that she would regret.

After observing Naruto, Kurenai realized that Naruto would make the best boyfriend for anyone, not just Hinata. He was kind and helpful, yet strong and deadly at the same time. Very few shinobi would be willing to play "ninja" with a bunch of Academy students but he did just that. She remembered the day that she had confronted him about his antics.

**Flashback (Shortly after Team 7 returned from their mission in Wave)**

"Naruto-san, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Huh? Oh, you're Hinata's sensei right? Yeah sure, go ahead."

"Thank you. I would like to know why you spend time playing with the students. Shouldn't you be training for the Chunin Exams?"

"Yeah, I probably should. But I promised Konohmaru that I would play ninja with him and his friends."

"So you are just doing it because you promised him?"

"Yes and no. I don't take back my promises, but even if I didn't promise him, I would still play with him."

"Why is that? Not many boys I know would willingly play with students."

"You're a jounin, so you have access to all the missions that genins have gone on. Have you read up on my latest mission?"

"No, but I do know that your mission was upgraded to an A-rank, and that you encountered Momochi Zabuza and his accomplice."

"Well, you know most of the story then. What you probably don't know is that…I…made my first two kills on that mission."

Kurenai was stunned. Here was a genin, barely three months out of the Academy, and he had already made his first kill…no, kills. She couldn't believe it. Genins shouldn't be forced to kill so soon.

"Why? What happened? Where was Kakashi?"

"The rest of my team was at the bridge, guarding Tazuna, the bridge builder. I was suffering from chakra exhaustion; I trained too hard the night before. Anyways, when I woke up the next morning, I heard some commotion downstairs. Turns out that there were these two samurai-thugs that tried to kidnap Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter."

"I had to fight them…I couldn't let them take her or her kid, Inari. I managed to make it look like I just knocked them out, but in reality…my shuriken killed them. I had to fake it, and make it look like I just knocked them out though."

"Why did you have to fake it?"

"Tsunami and Inari especially shouldn't have to see death. Tsunami was far too kind, she reminded me of Hinata actually, and I didn't think that seeing someone being killed in front of her would be good. Inari…he had just gotten over the death of his surrogate father the night before, and I thought that if he saw someone die, he would lose it again. I couldn't let that happen."

"You could have just knocked them out though. Why did you kill them?"

"If I knocked them out, they could've escaped and kidnap Tsunami while I was away at the bridge with the rest of my team. Since I had no idea of knowing how long it would take to clear up the mess on the bridge, I had to kill them. I couldn't let them harm Tsunami or Inari."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure that _you_ knew why you had to kill them. It was very mature of you to do that."

"Thanks. You know, it's kind of strange that I'm telling you this."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Besides from Ojjisan and Iruka-sensei, you're the only one who knows that I've killed. I haven't even told Sakura-chan or Sasuke yet."

"Why not?"

"Sakura-chan isn't ready to deal with death. She just realized on this mission that she has to be strong. Her booksmarts didn't help her during any of our fights. Sasuke…well Sasuke would start complaining that I beat him in something. To be honest, I don't really feel like dealing with having the emo-boy-wonder blow a gasket because I did something he wasn't able to."

"Okay, I can understand your reasoning, and I must say, it was very mature of you. You should be commemorated on your thoughtfulness of your teammates' emotions. But you still haven't answered my question yet. Why do you play with the students?"

Naruto started blushing. He couldn't help it, so very few people in his life had ever complemented him on anything. Most of his life he had been scorned; it was a wonderful feeling, being praised for something.

"I haven't, have I? Look at them. They're all so…innocent and happy. They have no idea what they've signed up for. Sure, they think they'll go on missions and protect princesses and what not, and that's true once they get strong enough. What they don't realize is that even on escort missions, they may be forced to take a life."

"They have no clue what it's like to take a life, and I intend to keep it that way. The life of a shinobi is hard, very hard. They don't need to know what it's like to take a life, not yet anyways. They need to keep their innocence."

"Once you have taken a life, there is no going back. The blood will forever be on your hands, and nothing that you do will ever make it go away."

"Kakashi-sensei said that killing was easier after the first time. He was only partially correct. The physical action of killing someone does get easier after the first time, but dealing with the fact that you have taken a life, gets harder after the first kill. When you look back on all the lives that you have taken, you only realize that you have killed so many."

"I understand Naruto-san. So you are trying to preserve their innocence?"

"Yes. You know of my condition correct?"

"Yes. And before you say anything, I don't hate you for it. In fact, you have my respect for being able to carry such a burden."

"Thanks, you don't know how much it means to me. Anyways, due to my condition, I was never able to have a childhood. I was constantly on the run, looking for food or shelter, or even trying to outrun a mob. I like to think that because of the way I was forced to grow up, I know the pains of not being able to have a childhood."

"I never want anyone to grow up too early. I was forced to grow up too early, and I always wonder what it would have been like to live life as a regular kid. The pain of having to carry the same responsibilities as an adult was so painful."

"So that's why I play with the students. They need to have their childhood be a pleasant experience. I'll do anything for them to keep their innocence, even if it means getting mocked at by my peers."

Kurenai was in shock during Naruto's speech. He had never talked so…eloquently before. She had to wonder just how much of Naruto's true personality she knew. For him to be willing and able to do so much for Academy students, he must have a truly giant heart.

"That is very noble of you Naruto-san. Thank you for your time."

"No problem. Now, excuse me please, I gotta go meet Konohamaru and his friends to play ninja. See ya."

**End Flashback**

"Hinata-chan, you are my student. I will always worry about you. Now, what is bothering you?"

"Kurenai-sensei…I'm so confused."

"Is there anything I could do to help you?"

"I…I lost…s-something v-very important t-to m-me. I've…wanted it f-for so m-many years now, b-but now i-it's out of reach. Someone e-else got t-to it before me. I know it's s-selfish o-of me, but e-even now, I s-still w-want it. E-even though my brain t-tells me to give i-it up, m-my heart s-says differently. Why?"

Kurenai knew that Hinata was talking about Naruto. She could feel her student's pain. After all, she had lost her lover, and that was like what Hinata was going through.

"It hurts because you care so much. Maybe…just wait, and see what happens. Who knows, maybe you'll get another chance? Or maybe you don't really want that 'something'. Only time can tell. But no matter what, always listen to your heart."

"Kurenai-sensei…arigato. I think…I just need to stay here for a bit longer."

"That's fine Hinata-chan. Do get some rest."

As Kurenai continued her walk, she swore that she would confront Naruto. She didn't know what she would have him do, but she would be damned if she let Hinata keep crying. Kurenai quickened her pace; she knew that Naruto would be gone for a week for obvious reasons, and she didn't want to see Hinata depressed for a week.

--

Unknown to Kureani and Hinata, there were three eavesdroppers. The three eavesdroppers were none other than Hyuuga Neji, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru. All three had noticed that Hinata was more depressed than usual, and decided to see what was wrong.

Ever since Neji's defeat by Naruto's hands at the Chunin exams, he had become a kinder person. He didn't long for Hinata's blood; instead, he longed for her happiness and safety. Neji had truly fulfilled the role of a guardian.

Shino was there because he cared for his teammate. He thought of her as his little sister. Of all the members of Team 8, she was the most fragile, the most innocent. Her innocence was so pure, that Shino was willing to do anything to protect her. During Naruto's three year training trip, Hinata would become extremely depressed for a few days at a time. So Shino decided to place several of his bugs on her, which were able to tell him what emotion Hinata was experiencing. Whenever she was depressed, Shino would alert Kurenai-sensei who would have some girl-talk with Hinata.

Neither Neji or Shino expected Shikamaru to be there. Shikamaru was there for one reason; Naruto. He knew that Naruto was in love with Hinata, even if he didn't know it himself. When Naruto was in the hospital after Sasuke's defection, Shikamaru had noticed how Naruto was always happy after talking to Hinata. So he decided that he would try to get the two to become a couple. He had seen how hard Naruto's life had been after he decided to follow Naruto one day after classes at the Academy were over. Shikamaru wanted to know why Naruto came to class with a broken arm; he didn't believe him for a minute when he said that he tripped and fell; Shikamaru knew that Naruto wasn't clumsy, if he was then he would never have been able to do his pranks. When he saw several villager beat him up, he knew something was wrong. So he decided to ask his father, who only told him that many people hated Naruto for a reason out of his control and that Shikamaru should try to befriend him. Even if he didn't show it, Shikamaru took his father's lessons to heart. His father didn't give out advice very often, but when he did Shikamaru listened. Besides, if Hinata got together with Naruto, then maybe she would be able to get Naruto to stop his oh so very troublesome pranks.

"Who wants to bet that Hinata is upset because of something Naruto did?"

"Shikamaru-san, there is no reason to bet. Naruto-san is obviously involved; Hinata-sama rarely cries anymore, and the only way she would show so much emotion is if it involves someone that she loves more than anyone else. And we all know that she truly loves Naruto-san."

"Acute as ever Neji-san. I too, concur."

"You too Shino? Ah well, I guess we could follow Kurenai-san and see what she does to Naruto. It would be rather amusing to see him getting beat up."

And with that, the three boys followed Kureani, in the hopes of finding a way to get Hinata to feel better.

--

As soon as Naruto left Tsunade's office, he went back to his apartment and entered his mindscape. In all honesty, he had no idea what he had to bring with him. After all, Kyuubi had never finished telling him what was required to summon the council.

'_Oi, Kyuubi! What do I need to bring?'_

'_**Not much. Just pack what you would normally bring on a week-long mission. Make sure you bring a brush and a pot.'**_

'_I can see the brush being used to write seals, but what's the pot for?'_

'_**Well, it would be a real hassle to keep cutting yourself every time you want to write a new seal right? If you have a pot, you can just cut yourself and let your blood drip into the pot.'**_

'_Blood?!'_

'_**This summoning requires the seals to be made in blood, not ink. It's kind of like how you have to draw your own blood before you summon a toad.'**_

'_Oh…am I going to need that much blood?'_

'_**Probably, now finish packing up.'**_

'_**Hai, hai.'**_

Naruto quickly packed everything that he would need, and placed it in a storage scroll. Ever since he learned how to make his own storage scrolls from Jiraiya during their training trip, he used those scrolls instead of packs. Scrolls were just so much more convenient to use. Not only did they weigh less, but they didn't get in the way when you were in a fight.

Picking up the scroll, Naruto made sure to lock his door before he left. That was a lesson that he had learned long ago. If he left his door unlocked, then the villagers would just ransack the place. They never stole anything because he never had anything worth stealing there. The most valuable thing Naruto owned was probably Tsunade's necklace. After that came his shinobi equipment, but he always had that with him. The only thing worth stealing in Naruto's apartment would be his bed, but people cut that up on a regular basis.

Naruto ran to the main gates, before Izumo and Kotetsu stopped him.

"Oi, leaving already? Tsunade-sama sent word that you would be leaving. How long are you going to be gone?"

"Eh, only a week Izumo, only a week. Just got some business to do."

"Have a good time then. See you around."

"Sure thing Kotetsu, sure thing. Don't get too lazy while I'm gone!"

--

Kurenai dashed up to Naruto's apartment, intent on catching him before he left for a week.

'_Oh, first thing I'll do is punch him…then I'll put him under a genjutsu. Then I'll ask him what he did to Hinata-chan…'_

"Naruto! Open up!"

No one opened the door. Kurenai realized that the boy was always skilled at reading a person's emotion through their voice, so she thought that he may have been pretending not to be there in order to avoid a beating.

"Oi, if you open the door now, I'll treat you to Ichiraku's!"

Still no answer. Kurenai decided that Naruto wasn't there. Though she had never seen the blonde eat ramen, it was a well known fact that Naruto basically worshipped ramen. She didn't see how anyone could think that he was a demon. Who ever heard of a demon, much less the most powerful of all demons, that worshiped ramen?

As Kurenai reached the gates, she saw the two gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu. Normally, they would be guarding the Hokage's office, so they must have requested Gate Duty. She would ask for Gate Duty too, if she had to deal with Tsunade-sama's temper.

"Oi, did Uzumaki Naruto leave yet?"

"Oh, you just missed him Kurenai-san."

"Damn…oh well, thanks. See you later."

"Ja ne."

She would just have to wait until Naruto came back before she could chew him out. For now though, all she could do for Hinata-chan was to be a shoulder she could cry on and an ear she could rant to.

Kurenai never noticed the three young shinobi following her.

--

Naruto figured that he would be able to reach Wave in a day if he traveled as fast as he could. When he had first traveled there with Team 7, it had taken them nearly a week to reach their destination, but that was because they had to travel like civilians because they were escorting Tazuna. Now though, Naruto was able to travel like shinobi, meaning that he jumped from tree branch to tree branch. The weights and stamina training that he had started with Jiraiya helped too.

He only paused when he reached the scene where he had encountered his first real battle. Though there were no remaining scars of the battle, he would never be able to forget this place. The place where he had froze and nearly made his team abandon their mission. The place where he had first swore on his nindo to never back down. The place where…Sasuke had called him 'scaredy-cat'.

After a minute or so of reminiscing, he started to run again. He couldn't spend too much time lost in his memories. He had to get going, otherwise he might not have enough time to complete what he had to do.

He shouldn't have worried, because he reached the bridge that Tazuna had built in a bit over an hour. When he saw the bridge, he was stunned. Since Team 7 left before the bridge was named, Naruto assumed that the bridge would be named after Inari's father or some stupid name Tazuna came up with. Never had Naruto dreamed that the bridge would be named, 'The Great Naruto Bridge'. What had he done to be worthy of having a bridge named after him?

As Naruto walked across the bridge and into the town, he noticed a statue near the start of the bridge. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a statue of him. Naruto just blinked. He didn't think that anyone would ever make a statue of him…at least not until he became Hokage and someone carved his face on the Hokage Monument.

The statue was rather…detailed. The statue depicted Naruto in his old clothes, crouched, with his right hand behind his back, holding a kunai, while his left hand was stretched out in front of him, with claws extended. His eyes looked more feline than human, meaning that somehow, the sculptor had seen Naruto when he was accessing Kyuubi's power. There were also several senbon stuck in the boy, mementoes from Haku's relentless attacks.

At the base of the statue, there was a plaque. Naruto leaned in closer to read the plaque.

'_This statue is to commemorate the bravest of all Konoha shinobi and future Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. He, along with his team defended Tazuna, the bridge builder, while the despicable Gatou was still in power and had complete control of our beautiful village. His team mates, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, and sensei, Hatake Kakashi, also deserve recognition for their part in aiding in the defense of Tazuna. However, it was Naruto who managed to restore something that had long been lost to our village for many years. Hope. With his actions, he managed to restore hope to everyone in this village, and for that, he will forever be remembered in this village. May the day he becomes Hokage be soon, and may his life be long and filled with happiness.'_

Naruto was stunned. He started laughing to himself.

'_Oi, aneue, can you imagine anyone from Konoha reading this? They would flip out!'_

'_**Yes, they would otouto. But you deserve it you know. Everything they put in that plaque is entirely true.'**_

'_It is?'_

'_**Yes, it is. Do you think Kakashi would have been able to restore hope? Defend them yes, but restore hope? No. At the time, Sakura was still in her obsessive fan-girl mode, and there is no way that the Uchiha would have ever comforted Inari.'**_

'_Eh, I guess your right. But they make me sound like a hero.'_

'_**That's because you are a hero. You will become great, I know it.'**_

'_Thanks aneue. I better get going…wait, where do I need to go?'_

'_**Just go to the forest, and try to find a secluded area. A cave would be best.'**_

'_Remind me again why I couldn't do this back in Konoha?'_

'_**The summoning will work the best when it is near the area where you first used my chakra.'**_

'_Wouldn't that be in Konoha, when I used Kage Bunshin to beat up Mizuki?'_

'_**No, that was all done with your own chakra.'**_

'_Nani?!'_

'_**You didn't even realize that you did that with your own chakra?'**_

'_Nope. I always thought it was yours.'_

'_**No, that was all your chakra. Don't you remember when you were fighting Gaara three years ago? When you summoned all those Kage Bunshins to help you fight him?'**_

'_I thought that was your chakra.'_

'_**Nope. Do you remember what Haku said to you?'**_

'_Ano…By the way, I'm a guy?'_

'_**No, the part about, 'When a person is protecting someone precious to them, then they can become truly strong.'**_

'_Oh, I truly understand what he was trying to say. Too bad Sasuke wasn't there to hear Haku's speech. Thanks for reminding me aneue.'_

As Naruto entered the town, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. For a second, he was worried. Did these villagers know that he was the jinchuruki of Kyuubi?

Two things settled his mind. First, he didn't detect any killing intent coming from the villagers, so unlike the villagers in Konoha. Second, he heard what the villagers were saying about him.

"Is…is that him? Could it possibly be him?"

"It is! It is! Naruto-sama has returned!"

Naruto sweat dropped after hearing that last comment. He wasn't used to being shown respect, much less having the –sama suffix added to his name.

"He is _so_ gorgeous!"

"How hard do you think his abs are?"

"I bet he's the strongest and most respected shinobi of all in Konoha. Look at him! The Konoha council would be foolish to let so much talent go to waste!"

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"I hope not, but what if he's married? Don't shinobi tend to get married really early on in their life? I mean, their profession isn't exactly safe is it?"

"Look at his hands! There's no ring-that means that he's not married!"

"I wouldn't mind dating or even marrying Naruto-sama!"

At this point, many of the local male population were getting rather jealous of Naruto. They had never seen any guy get so much attention without really trying. It wasn't fair! So at this point, one man, decided to speak up.

"So you just want to marry Naruto-sama because he's strong and good looking? Seems kind of shallow to me!"

"You're a fool! Don't you ever disrespect Naruto-sama again! And we don't like him just because he's good looking…though that is a plus. What we really like him for is his nature. He's always nice and enthusiastic! But more importantly, he has a kind heart."

Naruto just smiled as he walked by. Oh how he loved this feeling of…belonging. For once in his life, he was walking in a village where the people didn't hate him for something he had no control over.

'_Oi, aneue, can you imagine the looks on the villager's reactions if they heard me getting praised?'_

'_**Ha,ha,ha, that would be a picture worth a thousand words.'**_

'_Um…aneue?'_

'_**Yes otouto?'**_

'_Why are you euphoric?'_

When Naruto first questioned Kyuubi back during his training trip, he realized that he was able to feel Kyuubi's emotions and vice versa.

'_**Otouto, I'm just so happy for you. You are finally receiving the recognition you deserve. Sure they might not be treating you as a hero for being a jinchuruki, but you are being treated as a hero for your actions.'**_

'_Aneue…thank you. You don't…well, actually you do, know how much this means to me.'_

'_**Of course I do silly; I can feel all of your emotions. Now create some Kage Bunshin and send them out to look for a location where the summoning can be set up. Then, put some of your blood in the pot for them, otherwise they won't have access to your blood for the seal. Hurry along now, we should find Tazuna and see if he has any room for you to sleep at his house for the night.'**_

He grabbed a kunai and cut his hand, letting the blood flow into the pot. Naruto had to cut himself several times because Kyuubi's chakra automatically healed his wounds, whether they were intentional or not. When the pot was full of his blood, Naruto formed a cross and created six Kage Bunshin. Naruto felt a strange tickling sensation as the Kage Bunshin were called forth. Strange…it seemed to take more chakra to create than usual. With a nod, the Kage Bunshin set forth, looking for an area that could be used.

'_Oi, aneue, how will they know if the spot is good?'_

'_**Didn't you feel different when you made the Kage Bunshin? I put forth some of my knowledge into those Kage Bunshin. While you look for Tazuna, those Kage Bunshin can find a perfect spot and start drawing summoning seal.'**_

'_You put some of your knowledge in them? Cool! Why didn't you do that before? Why don't you give me some of your knowledge?'_

'_**I didn't even know I could do it before, and it takes more chakra to perform the jutsu if I give them some of my knowledge. As for why I don't give you the knowledge, one, you wouldn't learn anything that way, you'd be just like the Uchiha brat, and two, it could permanently damage your brain.'**_

'_Oh, okay, that's good I guess. I should go visit Inari…'_

After a few more minutes of walking and having the male population stare at him like he was Kami-sama himself, and the female population staring at him like he was a steak, he finally reached Tazuna's house. Or what used to be his house. It seemed that the village had finally gotten out of its depression; Tazuna's house was easily twice as big as it was when Naruto first visited.

Naruto walked up to the door, and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened.

"Hello, how may we…Naruto-sama! Is that you!? It really is you! What a surprise, come on in, come on in!"

At first, Naruto was a bit flustered by Tsunami's actions. Despite enjoying the treatment, he didn't think that he deserved it.

"Would you like anything to drink Naruto-sama? Tea, water, milk?"

"Tea would be fine Tsunami. And please, drop the honorifics, you know me well enough."

"Are you sure? After all, you've done so much for this village."

"I'm sure Tsunami."

"Well, if you insist Naruto-sam…Naruto. I'll get you some tea right away."

"You sure you don't want some saki gaki?"

"Bah, what do I want to drink saki for? So I can become a drunken old man like you Tazuna?"

"Haha, he's got you there Otousan."

"Ouch, stabbed by my own daughter, what a cruel world this is."

"Oh, where's Inari?"

"He's at school at right now Naruto, he should be home soon."

"If you don't mind me asking gaki, what are you doing here?"

"It's a rather long and complicated story, and I don't feel like repeating myself, so if you don't mind I would like to wait until Inari comes home."

"Of course, we don't mind waiting, Naruto. Here's your tea."

"Thank you Tsunami."

--

Back at the training field, Kurenai watched Hinata sob. It broke her heart that she wasn't able to do anything for her most fragile and compassionate student. Kurenai soon realized that she wasn't alone.

"Okay guys, you can come out now."

Without so much as a leaf being stepped on, the three young shinobi appeared next to Kureani.

"And what are you three doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're here for the same reason as you…even though it is extremely troublesome."

"Hinata-san is a member of my team, what type of teammate would I be if I let her suffer without trying to do anything to help her?"

"Hinata-sama is under my protection. It is my duty and honor to defend her, whether it be from physical or emotional attacks."

Kurenai smiled. Hinata was so lucky to have people that cared so much for her. And she had Naruto to thank for giving Hinata a most skilled and dedicated guardian.

In fact, it seemed like only yesterday when Neji was out for Hinata's blood. Then everything changed after Naruto defeated Neji in the third round of the Chuunin exams. Neji was no longer insulted Hinata, but instead he offered her advice and helped her improve her skills.

"Well, the only thing that would help would be to get Naruto to talk to her, but with him gone for a week, there isn't much we can do."

--

"Mom! I'm home!"

"Oh, Inari, come into the living room, you'll never guess who's here!"

"Huh? Who would come to…Oi! Naruto-niisan! You came back to visit!"

"Well duh, I told you I would come back to visit didn't I?"

"Ha, you know I should've known that you were back. When I was walking home from school, I heard all the women talking about the 'really hot savior'."

"Heh heh, those ladies are crazy. They looked like they wanted to eat me!"

"So Naruto-niisan, how come you're back here?"

"Well…it's a long story. I'll have to start at the beginning. You know that sixteen years ago the Kyuubi attacked Konoha correct?"

"Ya, and the Yondaime killed it. Hurry up with the story brat."

"That's not exactly true. You see, the Yondaime couldn't kill the Kyuubi, so he sealed it into a child. Me. His last wish was for me to be seen as a hero, but the villagers didn't treat me like a hero. Instead, I was scorned and hated for living. I had to steal food from trash cans just to survive, and was constantly on the run from angry mobs. Parents told their children to stay away from me, and I never knew why. You see, the Sandaime passed a law that forbid anyone from telling the younger generation what really happened to the Kyuubi. I never even knew why I was hated until I was thirteen."

By the end of Naruto's speech, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari were all in tears. Inari couldn't believe that he had once believed that Naruto didn't know what a hard life was.

'_From the sound of things, Naruto-niisan was only describing the beginning of his hardships. He is truly strong, to be able to withstand so much pressure without cracking.'_

"Well anyways, I came here because in about nine months, Konoha will be attacked by Oto, Kumo, Iwa, and Akatsuki. I have to prepare something, in order to defend my village."

After hearing Naruto's statement, the three Wave residents paled.

"Attacked? What do we have here that could possibly help you?"

"Relax Tazuna. When my team and I engaged Zabuza and Haku on the bridge, I had to call upon Kyuubi's power in large amounts for the first time. The…project that I'm working on requires me to be in the location where I first called upon a large amount of Kyuubi's chakra."

"Oh, will it place any of the villagers in danger?"

"No Tsunami, it will not. But just in case, I'm going to be in the forest."

"When are you going?"

"Not until tomorrow morning Inari."

"Cool, you want to go around town?"

"Eh, sure, why not?"

--

Hyuuga Hiashi sat alone in his office. He had just gotten out of the Council meeting regarding the future invasion. The atmosphere there was tense, as they argued over what should be done. Some, like Danzo, wanted to launch a preemptive strike, but Konoha did not have enough shinobi to attack three villages at the same time. Not attacking at the same time would give the other two villages time to attack Konoha. It was finally settled that the Hokage's original plan would be followed.

His meetings with the Hyuuga council had not gone well either. Those fools still couldn't accept the fact that Hinata was going to become the head of the clan. They claimed that Hanabi would make a better leader than Hinata because she was clearly the better fighter of the two. Hiashi, was not swayed by their comments. He knew that the council knew that she was not weak. No, they were scared of her…or rather, of what she could do. Everybody in the clan knew that she was against the cursed seal, earning her the respect of the entire branch house.

He had seen her grow strong over the years. She was no longer the weak and timid girl she used to be. Hinata was strong, far stronger than anyone save the Uzumaki child ever acknowledged her to be. Hiashi was no fool, he knew of the feelings that his daughter had for the jinchuuruki. Unlike the rest of the foolish village, he didn't hate the child. Hiashi knew first hand how skilled the Yondaime was with seals; he had attempted to create a way to get rid of the Hyuuga's cursed seal and was rather close to finding a counter for it before the Kyuubi had attacked. Therefore, he trusted the Yondaime's seal to do its job and keep the fox sealed away.

Also, how could Hiashi hate the child that had mended Neji's broken heart and gotten rid of his bitter emotions? For years, Hiashi had hated the fact that his nephew hated his guts. He didn't know what to do; he did everything he thought that might make it up to him. Hiashi had even gone as far as 'practicing' his kaiten near Neji's preferred training area within the Hyuuga compound in order to let him see how it was done. Nothing seemed to work, until Naruto came.

Naruto had been the one to bring Neji 'out of the darkness' as he had stated. Hiashi had asked him what he meant, but he refused to elaborate. Furthermore, Neji also refused to tell Hiashi what Naruto had told him down in the arena during the Chuunin exams. Hiashi was too far up in the stands to hear what was being said, and his Byakugan was not activated so he couldn't read their lips. All Neji would say was that, "Uzumaki Naruto-san led me out of the darkness. By doing that, his eyes are far better than any Hyuugas, even mine. He also made a promise to me…and he always keeps his promises." Would a demon lead someone out of the dark and into the light? Hiashi didn't think so.

He also knew that Uzumaki wasn't a demon because his eldest daughter held feelings for him. It was true that Hinata was perceived as a gentle spirit, but when her loved ones were threatened, she became…ferocious. Just like her mother…

Hitari…his daughter's mother had died shortly after giving birth to Hanabi. Hitari was Hiashi's reason to live. He loved her so much. She had helped him with everything. She had been there to comfort him when Hizashi had sacrificed himself for him, when the council meetings had gone bad…she had always been there for him. Then she died.

After she passed away, it was like a hole opened up in his life. He was in so much pain…the loss seemed unbearable. If he could, he would've committed senpuku. But he knew he couldn't…Hizashi had given his life for him, and he would not let his sacrifice be in vain. So in an attempt to heal his wounded heart, he tried to cut off all connections he had to Hitari. He placed all of their pictures and his wedding ring in storage. If he had just waited a bit longer, then maybe the pain would've been bearable…maybe he wouldn't have made the worst mistake in his life-he wouldn't have hated Hinata.

The only reason that Hiashi had hated Hinata was because she resembled her mother not only in looks but in nature as well. Hitari had never liked fighting, but when she had to she became a deadly force of nature. Just like Hinata. It had taken twelve years before Hiashi had the guts to attempt to fix his problem. Shortly after Neji's defeat to Naruto, Hiashi started to treat Hinata like a daughter. He spent more time training her, took the pictures out of storage, kept his ring with him as a memento, and more importantly, he started to do what he could to keep Hinata from being placed in the branch house.

"Hitari-chan…you would be so disappointed in me wouldn't you? You must hate me…after all, I hate myself for being so cruel to Hinata. To think that I hated her just because I was too weak to handle my own pain…What can I do to be forgiven? Will I ever be forgiven?" He stared at a picture in his office of the two of them at their wedding. "We were so happy then…things seemed so bright. What happened?"

Hiashi took his wedding ring out of his pocket and rolled it around on the palm of his right hand. The ring reflected the sun's rays and temporarily blinded Hiashi. "The sun…a sign? Are you sending me a sign Hitari? What do you want me to do?" Hiashi sat in his chair, perplexed. He looked at the picture again, and then at the ring he held in his hand. "That's it…I see. I swear on all that is precious to me, I will let Hinata do what she truly wishes to do…even if she wishes to date Uzumaki. Should their relationship grow from there…then I'll even give him my blessing and do my best to keep the Hyuuga council in line. Besides, having Uzumaki living in this compound would liven things up. Maybe I could get him to pull a few pranks on the Hyuuga council."

As he tore his gaze away from his wedding ring, he looked out the window. The sun was shining on the Hokage monument, and it seemed as though Hitari approved of his decision to support his eldest daughter. Hiashi stood up and left his office. He had a lot of work that needed to be done. There were meetings he had to attend regarding the upcoming invasion, and most of all, he had to determine which elders on the Hyuga council would support Naruto in order to allow him to have a relationship with Hinata.

--

"Hinata is so beautiful. Easily the hottest kunoichi in Konoha, if not of all the shinobi villages. Her lavender eyes are so captivating, and I love how she grew her hair out. I think I'll ask her out on a date today…What do you think Akamaru?"

Akamaru responded with numerous barks and growls, which translated into, "Go for it!"

Encouraged by his partner's words, Kiba started sniffing the air for Hinata's scent. Since his graduation from the Academy, Kiba had improved his sense of smell and hearing to an incredible level, even for an Inuzuka. Tracking down Hinata's scent was kid stuff for him now.

His senses weren't the only skills that he managed to improve since he had become a Genin. He was well versed in his clan techniques, including some of the more powerful ones such as the Soutou Rou (Double Headed Wolf). Even though he could use the Soutou Rou, he didn't forget about the **Gatsuuga****(Piercing Fang) or Juujuin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone). He had managed to increase the speed and strength of his Gatsuuga, and he used Juujuin Bunshin on Akamaru so much that Akamaru could pass for a human.**

**As he walked towards the training grounds, Kiba started imagining where he would take Hinata on their date. He would take her to a fancy restaurant, an extremely expensive one before going for a stroll with the moon glowing overhead. He would do everything…and anything for her.**

**He would be a much better boyfriend, and eventually husband, than Naruto could ever be. After all, Naruto was simply an omega, and nothing could ever change that. Not even training for three years with a Sanin. Kiba was positive that he would be able to defeat Naruto in a fair fight, and this time, no fart would let Naruto win the match. In fact, after Kiba showed Jiraiya how strong he had come from training with a Jounin for three years, he would have to make him his new apprentice. Then Hinata would come running to him, begging him to take her out. After all, the only reason she never accepted any of his dates was because he lost to the omega; all he had to do was simply show that he was the alpha of the pack, and that his loss had been a fluke. Nothing more.**

**Ever since the Academy, Kiba had been trying to earn Hinata's affections. He never received them. When they were placed on the same Genin team, he was overjoyed. He had thought that given time, Hinata would be able to see how powerful he really was and fall in love with him. For three years, he had continually asked her out on dates. He had been rejected every time. Now though, Kiba was feeling lucky. **

**--**

**Hinata's tears finally dried. To be honest, she had been surprised that she had cried for so long. She heard someone move behind her, or rather two somethings. She didn't attempt to defend herself or use her Byakugan to see who it was. After spending three years on the same team and going on countless missions, it would be impossible not to be able to recognize your teammates simply by the way they walked. Kiba walked like Naruto, with his head held high, full of confidence, but his steps were much lighter. They had to be, their team was meant for reconnaissance, and loud noises had no place in a team like theirs. **

**When Hinata thought about it, she realized that she was lucky to have such a great team. They all got along with one another, and each member cared for one another to great extents. **

**Kurenai-sensei was like a mother to her, how could she not lover her? All the times that she was depressed, Kurenai-sensei was there for her. When she felt as if she couldn't go on living her life, she was there to wipe away her tears and offer her a safe haven in her home, where she was given the most delicious tea she had ever tasted.**

**Shino-kun was like her silent protector. He rarely spoke, but when he did she always listened. When he did decide to speak, his words were filled with wisdom. During missions, she could always count on him to cover her back; he had saved her numerous times during the beginning of Team 8.**

Kiba-kun…he was the muscle of the group. To some extent, it could be said that he was all brawn and no brain. He often rushed into things, just like Naruto-kun. Over the past three years, he had grown exponentially, both in skill and in size. The main flaw with him was his confidence, or rather his abundance of it. It often led the team into trouble, and he boasted far too often. Sure Naruto-kun would boast, but when he did it you could always tell that he wasn't being too serious about it. Kiba-kun was very serious when it came to boasting, he never had the softer-tone that Naruto-kun had.

"Oi, Hinata-chan, what's a pretty kunoichi like you doing out here all by yourself?"

"N-nothing K-kiba-kun. I'm j-just r-resting after t-training."

"Hm…that sounds kinda boring. Want to go out on a date? Get something to eat?"

Hinata was about to say no; after all, her heart belonged to her Naruto-kun. But then she remembered the ugly little truth; Naruto was with Sakura. At that moment, Hinata remembered all the times she had rejected Kiba's dates. In fact, Kiba was a lot like Naruto in the sense that he asked her out on a date on a daily basis, just like Naruto did to Sakura. Hinata knew from experience how much it hurt to be ignored by someone, and that pain wasn't something that she would wish on anyone else. Was she any better than Naruto?

"Sure Kiba-kun. Let's get something to eat."

To be honest, Kiba wasn't expecting Hinata to agree. He had been asking her out for years, even before they were placed on the same genin team, and she had never accepted. So it came as no surprise that Kiba was shocked-pleasantly shocked, but shocked none the less-that Hinata agreed.

'_Eh, I guess she finally realized how much of a man I am! I knew she would come around and realize that Naruto is just a dobe. Man, women are only good for two things-and thinking isn't one of them.'_

"Well, where do you want to eat? Since I'm such a gentleman, I'll let you pick!"

"Hmm…how about Ichirakus?"

"Ramen? I didn't know you liked that stuff, but if you want, we can go there." _'As long as Naruto isn't there…I don't need him messing anything up.'_

--

Teuchi sighed. Running a ramen stand wasn't easy, especially when his best and most frequent customer was the most hated boy…no young man in the village. Over the years, he had lost several customers due to the fact that he so strongly supported the village pariah. Some had refused to eat there and Teuchi had refused to serve some of the others who would openly bad-mouth Naruto in his restaurant.

He supposed that he shouldn't complain; after all, Naruto usually made up at least eighty percent of his daily profit. By himself, Naruto ate more than all of his other customers combined. He had no idea how Naruto managed to walk around after eating all those bowls of ramen.

When Naruto managed to stumble upon his humble ramen stand, he had been convinced that Kami-sama had decided to give him a blessing in disguise. In disguise as a young four-year old child. A dirty, malnourished, and frightened child, but a child nonetheless.

_**Flashback (Twelve Years Ago)**_

Teuchi couldn't help but let out a sigh. Business wasn't good. It had never been easy, but when his wife, Mika, was still alive, she had managed to take the stress away from his job. When they had a daughter, Ayame, it had been one of Teuchi's happiest moments. It ranked up there as the day that Ayame was old enough to start working in his ramen stand, alongside both of her parents. Then, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Mika had died during the attack, hit by a piece of debris. As with all the other adults, Teuchi knew of Kyuubi's fate; sealed away in a child, never to be set free. Teuchi couldn't bring himself to hate the child; Mika wouldn't have hated the child, and she would be so disappointed in him if he hated the boy.

"Otousan!"

Teuchi looked towards the entrance of his shop to see an eight-year old Ayame run in. He had to smile, no matter what happened, Ayame always managed to bring a smile to his face.

"Otousan, can I have an otouto?"

Teuchi frowned. When Ayame had gone to school two years ago, she had made friends as expected. What was not expected was when she came home from a sleepover and ask him for a little brother. He had the unfortunate task of explaining to her why she couldn't have a little brother. That was one of the last times that he had seen her cry.

"Ayame…I thought we went over why you can't have an otouto."

Ayame frowned as she recalled the reasoning behind it. She didn't hate her father for refusing to move on; instead, she loved him even more for his decision. Not every man would decide to remain single in honor of a wife's death.

"No, I found an otouto. Can we keep him?"

Teuchi froze. He repeated her words in his head. Found? Keep?

"Um…could you explain?"

"Sure! Naruto-niisan, come on in!"

To Teuchi's surprise, an orange bundle slowly walked in. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it wasn't a walking pile of orange clothing. He saw a young boy…at least he thought it was a boy. It was hard to tell with all the dirt on the boy's face. What he could tell angered him. His clothing (if ripped pieces of cloth barely connected could be called clothing) looked worse than the rags he used to wipe his counter. Worse, was what he could see through the tears in the boys clothing. There were bruises, cuts, and what he thought was dried blood, but it was hard to tell considering how dirty his clothes were. What really made Teuchi's blood boil was when he realized that he could count the boys ribs and how skinny his legs and arms were. He was broken out of his rant when he heard a small and timid voice.

"Ano…are you mad?"

"Hmm? No, I'm not mad Naruto." _'At least, not at you.' _Teuchi had to wonder, who was the real demon in the village? The boy who carried one or those who treated him like trash?

"Then why do you look so scary? You look just like the lady at the orphanage does before she hits me…"

It took a second for the boy's words to register in Teuchi's mind. _'…hits me…'_ What type of life did the boy lead? Was he constantly being abused? Teuchi had often heard villagers and shinobi organizing "demon hunts" and talking about how they had "taught the demon a lesson", but he had always written them off as boasts. Now, Teuchi had a sinking feeling in his gut that they might not have been telling tall tales.

"Don't worry about it. It's my problem, and my problems are not your problems you hear?" Receiving a nod from Naruto, Teuchi continued. "So how about some ramen?"

"Ramen? What's ramen?" Naruto tilted his head to one side as he stared at the nice man. Besides his ojiisan, no one else had ever been so nice to him.

"What's ramen?! You have no idea what you've been missing out on! What have you been eating all your life?" Teuchi immediately regretted his question as he realized that he might not want to know what he had been eating.

"Anything that's in the big container. I don't know what it is, but it usually smells and tastes funny."

Teuchi regretted asking his question as he had a suspicion of what the "big container" was. He didn't want to hear Naruto's response.

"Big container? You mean something like a stew pot?" Ayame decided that she would be the one to ask the question. She had been ignored for a few minutes and she was getting annoyed; besides, she was the one who found her new otouto.

"Nah, I'm not allowed to eat from the stew pot. I mean the containers all over the village. You have some right over there! See!" Naruto pointed at something behind Teuchi. Teuchi prayed that Naruto was pointing to the pot he used to cook the broth and not the trash cans on the other side of the kitchen. He slowly followed Naruto's finger, and realized that his first assumption had been true; Naruto was eating from the trash cans. For the third time that day, Teuchi felt his anger rising.

"Trashcans! You don't eat out of trashcans otouto! Who let you do that? Why would your parents let you do that?!"

"I don't have parents, and the lady at the orphanage told me to. She said that the villagers put all their extra food in there for me."

"Naruto, listen to me…I don't want you eating out of trash cans anymore, you hear? You ever get hungry, just come here for some ramen okay? Don't worry if you can't pay for it right then, I'll let you pay me back some other time. If the stand is closed, then come to our house and I'll cook something up for you. We'll show you where we live after we close tonight okay?"

Naruto's eyes widened and glistened with unshed tears, threatening to cascade out. They were filled with disbelief and an emotion that Teuchi couldn't recognize. The closest he could come to describing it was happiness, and that couldn't even begin to describe the degree of joy that Naruto was feeling.

"You…you mean that? You…want to help me? Nobody but ojiisan ever wants to help me…"

"Of course we want to help you otouto! You're family!"

Teuchi was immediately proud of his daughter. She was so like her mother, always willing to help. Then he realized that she had been calling Naruto "otouto" the whole time. As much as Teuchi wanted to help Naruto, he knew deep down that he couldn't adopt Naruto. If he did adopt Naruto, then all the demon haters would attack him. Well, he wasn't so worried about himself; he was more worried about Ayame. He wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt Ayame.

"Ayame…I don't think we can adopt Naruto."

Ayame started pouting. "Why not Otousan?"

"It's…complicated. Don't get me wrong, you can still be family but he won't be living with us. That's all."

Ayame still looked sad and depressed. Teuchi felt terrible. He hated seeing his daughter sad, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Neh, don't worry about it aneue. I'll be by every day to eat ramen. You won't even know when I'm not here!"

Naruto heard a loud squeal and before he could do anything, he felt himself being hugged. He immediately stiffened; he had bad experiences with people coming in close contact with him. He forced himself to relax; in the short time that he had been with the Ichiraku family, they had been extremely nice to him. Besides, he didn't want to upset his new family.

Teuchi let out a sigh of relief. That young boy had managed to cheer up Ayame. Anyone who helped his daughter out was okay in his book. He made a mental note to personally ask the Sandaime if his daughter could be told of Naruto's burden. He knew that when…not if, but when…Naruto found out why he was the target of so much hate in his own village he would need people by his side who knew of his condition and still support him. Grabbing a bowl of miso ramen, he placed it on the counter.

"Eat up, it's on the house."

Naruto sat down on a stool and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. He took a tentative taste of the noodles and swallowed. Teuchi and Ayame stared at him intensely, waiting to see what he said of the noodles. Instead of swallowing, Naruto rapidly devoured the rest of the bowl.

"That was great! Can I have another?"

Laughing, Teuchi started preparing another bowl. If he kept Naruto as a customer, he would never go out of business.

_**End Flashback**_

Right now, there were about five customers in his ramen stand. He sure missed Naruto; he always managed to make Ayame and laugh, and thus he was happy.

"A-ano, c-could I g-get a bowl o-of m-miso ramen?"

"Oi, and I want a bowl of beef ramen!"

Teuchi looked up and let a slight frown cover his face for an instant. He recognized the Hyuga girl. She was obviously in love with Naruto. He couldn't count the number of times he had seen her hiding in the bushes across the street watching his best customer. During Naruto's three-year training trip, she had frequented his stand on a weekly basis. He wasn't sure if she was there to make sure his stand didn't go out of business while Naruto was away, just waiting there for Naruto to return from his trip, or both. Either way, he was happy to serve her. She was polite and left very generous tips. In addition, Ayame liked to talk to her about girl things or something.

However, he wasn't happy to see who she was with. He had seen the boy walking with Hinata and her team before, but they had never been holding hands before. In all the times he had seen Hinata, she had never done anything to suggest that she was a relationship. In his opinion, she was waiting for Naruto. It wasn't his business to butt his head in their personal lives, but still…he didn't like seeing Naruto lose anything or anyone, especially not someone like Hinata who cared so much for him.

"Sure, coming right up."

--

"So Hinata, you like ramen?"

"H-hai. M-my f-favorite t-type is miso".

"Really? Here I was thinking that you only came here to see Naruto".

"N-no, I really like the food." _'Well, I do…and I used to come here to see Naruto…but not anymore, not now'._

"I'm glad you're over him; he's not good enough for you".

That being said, the two finished their meal in silence. Hinata ate her noodles quietly, just like she always did. She couldn't help but stare at Kiba-kun; he was eating like a dog. He was a messy eater, even messier than Naruto-kun when he ate at his fastest speed. Hinata always thought that the way Naruto ate was cute; he seemed to savor every bite he took, even if his bites didn't last that long. Kiba-kun ate like a ravenous dog. She doubted that he could even taste what he was eating.

After they finished their meal, Kiba left some money on the counter. Hinata tried to pay for her share of the meal, but Kiba wouldn't let her.

"Nah, I'll pay. I asked you on a date didn't I? Come on, I'll walk you home". Grabbing her hand, he led her out of Ichiraku's and started walking towards her house. Neither of the two departing shinobi noticed the frown that revisited Teuchi's face.

--

"Otousan, don't get too angry, it's not good for your health".

"Ayame, that hooligan is dating Hinata!"

"So?"

"So?! What do you mean 'So?'?! She should be dating Naruto!"

"Otousan, she is a person, not a doll! She can make her own choices, including who she will or will not date! She probably got tied of waiting for Naruto-kun to stop chasing his teammate."

Tecuhi let out a sigh. "Maybe you're right. I just don't want Naruto to lose any of his 'precious people'".

A sad smile appeared on Ayame's face. Naruto had told both of them of his 'precious people list'. She was so touched when he told her that her father and she were some of his most precious people that she hugged him and started crying. When she dried her eyes, she thanked him once again calling him 'otouto'. They had both stopped calling each other 'otouto' and 'anenu' years ago because they had both wanted to grow up and be taken more seriously. The only times those terms were used were in serious situations.

"I doubt that Hinata-chan will ever stop loving Naruto-kun. She may try to tell herself that, or even fall in love with someone else, but she will always love Naruto-kun the most. Never forget that Otousan."

Teuchi sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He supposed that his daughter was right; she was much better at reading emotions that he was. If he had to keep up with all of the teenage drama, then he would lose all of his hair. Still, he couldn't help but be concerned for his best customer.

"I can only hope that you're right Ayame. If Naruto lost her, even if he doesn't realize that she's always been cheering him on, then…well, I don't want to think of what would happen. So let's pray that you're right Ayame."

--

"That was fun, wasn't it Hinata-chan!"

"H-hai, I had fun on our d-d-date." _'But I would have had so much more fun if it had been Naruto-kun instead of you Kiba-kun…'_

"Well, if you had so much fun, how about another one tomorrow after our team practice?"

Hinata froze. She hadn't been expecting this. Truthfully, she still had a sliver of hope that she could still be seen as more than a friend in Naruto-kun's eyes. But…Naruto-kun was with Sakura-san, the girl of his dreams now. She had no chance anymore. She should give up on that foolish dream of hers, she had no way of accomplishing it.

'_I'll never give up or go back on my word! 'Cause that's my nindo!'_

Hearing Naruto-kun's words race through her mind strengthened her. She was about to decline to Kiba-kun's request when her brain made another realization. Naruto-kun never gave up on his dreams did he? And wasn't getting to be close to Sakura-san his dream? Why would he give it up for her, a shy and dark weirdo? Suddenly, she realized what she had to do.

"S-sure K-kiba-kun, I would l-lo-love to."

"Great! See ya tomorrow!"

Hinata stared at Kiba-kun's form disappearing in the distance. For a moment, she imagined that Kiba-kun was Naruto-kun. No. She wouldn't let her life and dreams revolve around Naruto-kun anymore. But…it was so hard. Naruto-kun had been her strength. Not anymore. She would have to find a new source of strength, whether it was from Kiba-kun or herself.

And if she wasn't going to use Naruto-kun as a pillar of strength anymore, then she shouldn't refer to him with the 'kun' suffix anymore. After all, she wasn't very close to him, nor was she trying to get close to him anymore. If they did get close to one another in the future, then that would happen. She wouldn't attempt to woo him over. Not anymore.

"Hinata."

Hinata turned around to see the imposing figure of her father. Even though her father had warmed up to her after Neji's loss to Naruto-k…Naruto-**san** during the Chuunin exams, she was still frightened of him.

"H-hai Otousan?"

Hiashi frowned. He hated the fact that his eldest daughter still feared him. But that was to be expected, considering his previous behavior towards her.

"That was one of your teammates, correct?"

"H-hait Otousan, Kiba-kun i-is my teammate."

"Are you in a relationship with him?"

"N-no…a-at least I d-don't think s-so. We w-went on a d-date today a-and he I a-agreed to e-eat with him a-again tomorrow."

'_I thought she was infatuated with Uzumaki. I'd rather have her date Uzumaki than the Inuzuka mongrel, but…whatever makes her happy.'_ "May you find happiness with him. Should you wish to…advance your relationship, come tell me and I will administer the trials." Hiashi turned around and went back to his study. HE still had to finish some paperwork.

Hinata stood there, frozen in surprise and embarrassment. Her father's words reverberated in her head. _'May you find happiness with him. Should you wish to…advance your relationship, come tell me and I will administer the trials.'_

Did she really want to marry Kiba-kun? He was nice, but it was so soon. Well, she could always date him for a while before she started to consider marriage. She turned around and headed towards her room.

--

"Bah, this is too troublesome," Shikamaru stated from his hiding spot in the bushes next to the Hyuuga compound. "Remind me why we're, or more importantly **I'm**, here? It's a nice day, and I'd rather watch the clouds than Romeo and Juliet over there."

"We are here to make sure that Hinata-sama does not do anything she will regret. More importantly, we are here to make sure that the mongrel does not do anything inappropriate."

"Neji-san, while I agree with your first reason, I have to disagree with your second statement," Kurenai stated before stepping out of the bushes and onto the street along with everyone else. "I doubt that Kiba-kun would do anything inappropriate. I taught both Shino-kun and Kiba-kun to be chivalrous."

"Then your lessons have been in vain."

Kurenai fumed. How dare that pompous Hyuga dare say that? "What?! I spent hours teaching them, there's no way it didn't work."

"During their…d-date," Neji had to force the word out of his mouth, "I noticed that the mongrel's eyes often darted below Hinata-sama's eyes and towards her chest. Furthermore, during their walk to the Hyuuga compound, I noticed that the fool was walking slightly behind Hinata-sama in order to undress her with his eyes."

Kurenai was stunned. She had noticed the same things, but she had hoped that no one else had noticed. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised, considering Neji's skill as a shinobi. However, she didn't want to believe that Kiba did all of those…perverted things. She thought…**knew** that she had taught both of her male students how important it was to be a gentlemen.

Even though the evidence was right in front of her, she still knew that as Kiba's sensei, it was her duty to defend him. Mentally, she struggled to find a way to come up with an argument in his favor. Before she could open her mouth or be questioned further, her other male student spoke.

"I am Kiba-san's teammate, and as such it is my duty to defend him when he is unable to, whether it is on or off of the battlefield." Kurenai felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. Her mysterious student had a way with words, and if anyone could get Kiba out of this mess, it would be Shino.

"However, in this case I can not defend him. Not when I agree with Neji-san, especially when the evidence has so clearly been presented to me. Both recently and during multiple past events."

"Shino-kun! You would turn against your own teammate?! I know it may not seem like much, but you should still defend him, even if it is only his reputation," Kurenai reprimanded.

"Kurenai-sensei, you would defend your student even when he is clearly in the wrong? You can't deny it, the facts have been presented, and they do not show Kiba-san in a good light. By continuing to defend him, you would be doing what Sandaime-sama did with Orochimaru so many years ago, albeit on a much smaller scale."

Kurenai was stunned. Shino was right. She shouldn't feel obligated by her duties as a sensei to defend her student when he didn't deserve her defense.

"You're right. I apologize for speaking out. I spoke before I thought because I believed that my duties as a sensei…"

Before Kurenai could continue her apology, Neji interrupted her. "Shino-san…you said 'Both recently and during multiple past events.' What did you mean by **'past events'**?!"

Kurenai was also confused. As far as she remembered, Kiba had never done anything to Hinata; at least, she hoped he hadn't. Otherwise, he would be in a world of pain.

"Over the past three years of being his teammate, I have seen the signs of him developing into either a pervert or a stalker."

"**Stalker**?! Elaborate please."

"Certainly Neji-san, but please calm down. I have handled the situation. First, whenever we are together as a team, Kiba-san releases large amounts of pheromones into the air, pheromones often associated with lust. At first, I thought it was because of you, Kurenai-sensei," hearing this caused Kurenai to flush red with embarrassment.

"But I'm ten years older than him!"

"Exactly. I believe you have misunderstood my meaning though. I did not mean to imply that he wanted to start a relationship with you. Rather, you were…much more developed than any other female he had encountered out of his household. Also, your clothing can be considered by many to be…provocative."

Kurenai had never realized that her students would be drooling after her. The main reason she wore her outfit was to distract **enemy** shinobi, not her students. At least she didn't wear what Mitarashi Anko wore.

"But I digress. I soon realized that the pheromones were directed towards Hinata-san when it was just us three training. He also attempted to peek on her when she was washing up during a mission."

Neji's byakugan activated out of rage. "How…how dare he attempt to intrude upon Hinata-sama's privacy! I'll kill him!" Shikamaru had to use his Kagemane no jutsu**5** to keep Neji from killing Kiba.

Kurenai was stunned, embarrassed, and pissed. Once again, she was reminded of her duty as a sensei to protect her students; only this time, she realized that she had done nothing to defend her favorite student's modesty.

"Relax Neji-san, I said he attempted to peek on her, not that he was successful in his endeavors. The first time I caught him in the act, I sent a swarm of my Kikaichu who sprayed his eyes with a low-level acid. Needless to say, his first attempt to peek on Hinata-san failed. Whenever Hinata-san goes to bathe, I always keep an eye on Kiba-san."

Neji's byakugan faded away, leaving only his regular pale eyes…which were still filled with anger. "I thank you Shino-san, for protecting Hinata-sama's modesty."

"Okay, now that we've agreed that Kiba is a pervert, can someone tell me why I'm here?"

"You're here genius, in order to determine what we'll do next. Hinata-sama will be starting to learn how to lead the Hyuga clan soon, and it would not be good for her if she had less than competent shinobi as a suitor. Furthermore, Kurenai-san would have asked you for your opinion on this matter, and in light of recent evetns, we all know that you will do anything she asks of you."

Shikamaru sighed. Neji was correct. After Asuma-sensei had asked him to watch over Kurenai and their unborn child, he had done everything he could to help her, which was not very much. It wasn't for a lack of trying but because Kureani was so determined to do things on her own. He supposed that fiery spirit and determination was what attracted his late sensei to the red-eyed woman.

"Just let them be. No need to interfere, at least, not yet. Hinata's a big girl, she can take care of herself if Kiba decides to try anything."

"Shikamaru-san is correct. Both of them are my teammates, and I have known them for years. I believe that waiting is the best choice as of now."

"So it is agreed that we will not do anything yet. Right, Neji-san?"

"Fine Kureani-san. I won't harm the mongrel…yet."

--

Naruto was amazed. The village that he saw as he walked with Inari was completely different. There weren't any beggars on the street or starving child searching for through the trash for food. Nobody was trying to steal just to survive. It seemed to be a completely different village than the one he had visited so long ago.

"You know Inari, if I didn't know better, I would say that you built a new village, not just a new bridge."

"Well, things did get a lot better after the bridge was built. And it was all because of you!"

"Me?! How?"

The duo continued to walk along the streets, stopping every so often to see what the various stalls were selling or for Naruto to shake the hands of a thankful villager. More times than he cared to count, he had been kissed on the cheek by a villager girl before the girl passed out from happiness. After receiving "star" treatment, he realized how Sasuke felt when he was back in Konoha. Thus, his hatred of his teammate's betrayal grew even more.

Sasuke…was an idiot. He left a village where he was loved and pampered. He had everything that Naruto had ever wished for, acknowledgement, friends, food, a nice house, and a village that respected him. Sasuke had left all that behind for power.

Pathetic. Was Sasuke so pathetic that he would give up what Naruto never had just for power? Naruto had another goal now. He would bring Sasuke back to Konoha to fulfill his promise to Sakura-neechan and to prove to Sasuke how stupid he was to abandon a village that literally worshipped the ground that he walked on. Naruto was pulled out of his rant when he heard Inari's voice.

"Well, you read the inscription on your statue right?" Without waiting for him to answer, Inari led Naruto to another stall and started picking through the fruit. "You showed me what it meant to be a hero and what courage was. If you hadn't, then Gatou's bandits would've destroyed the bridge, even if your team did defeat Zabuza and Haku."

"Huh…maybe you're right…"

"'Course I'm right, I'm always right! Hey, check out this stall! They got some really neat stuff here." Inari grabbed Naruto's hand and led him into an odd looking stall. There were hanging curtains that they had to push past before he could see what was in the stall.

"What do they sell here? Jewelry? What do I need jewelry for?"

"For a girl you idiot! There must be some girl that you like!"

As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, images of Hinata came to his mind. Did he really like Hinata? Sure she was nice, pretty, strong, pretty…wait, did he say pretty twice? _'I guess I really do like Hinata. Who would've guessed it?'_

'_**I would've.'**_

'_Ah, be quiet aneue.'_

Naruto received the mental image of Kyuubi sticking her tongue out at him.

"Naruto-sama! What an honor it is to have you in my stall!"

"Huh? Honor? Me?" Naruto was extremely surprised as the old lady called to him from behind the counter. After all, there was only one stand in Konoha that actually welcomed him.

"Indeed. You restored this village back to its prime. For that, I am forever in your debt. When Gatou was still in power, I had given up hope of seeing this village as a prosperous village. I thought that I would die before his reign ended, but then you and your team came and put an end to his reign of terror."

Naruto put one hand behind his head and scratched his nose with his free hand. He couldn't remember being this embarrassed before.

"Eh well, its part of the job see! A shinobi should always protect the innocent." In his heart, Naruto knew that what he just said was a lie. After all, didn't he make his own nindo after the deaths of Haku and Zabuza? The old lady didn't need to know that though.

"Don't give me 'it's part of the job' crap. Many shinobi would've abandoned Tazuna-san to his fate when they realized that the mission was much harder than expected. Furthermore, you did the mission even though we couldn't pay you up front. Your valor was unexpected and uncommon."

Naruto was stunned; few had ever been this nice to him. He didn't know what to say or do. Should he bow, shake her hand, or what?

"I can see that you're stunned. As a token of my gratitude, you may pick whatever you want from my stall. The price doesn't matter, pick what you want. It's the least I can do."

"Really?! Thanks a lot lady!"

Naruto decided to get Hinata something really nice. He would ask her on a date and then give it to her. It was a great plan!

"Hmm…Inari! I need some help!"

"What?"

"What should I get if I want to give it to a really special girl?"

"…How should I know?! I'm only eleven!"

"Hm…you're right…"

The old lady behind the counter just laughed at the exchange. In all your years of life, she had never seen a shinobi that was as carefree as Naruto-sama. It was rather entertaining to see his antics.

"May I make a suggestion Naruto-sama?" Upon seeing him nod, she continued. "You should just walk around the stall until you see something that catches your eye."

With the old lady's piece of advice fresh in his mind, Naruto walked around. He looked at rings made of silver and gold, earrings made of pearls, necklaces made of shells, and countless other pieces of jewelry. Nothing seemed to be right. Just as he was about to turn around and look through the stall again, an opaque stone hanging from a gold chain in the corner caught his eye.

"Hey, what's this necklace?"

The old lady walked to where Naruto was standing. How odd that he had been drawn to this necklace of all the items in her stall. How very odd.

"A fine pick Naruto-sama. Out of all the pieces in my stall, this is the only one that can be described as 'chakra sensitive'."

"What's that mean?"

"This necklace is very special. It reacts in a very unique way to a shinobi's chakra."

"Huh? How so?"

"It'll be easier to show you. Here, channel some of your chakra into it."

Naruto placed his right forefinger on the top of the stone and channeled some of his chakra into it. He could feel the stone absorbing his chakra like a sponge. All of a sudden, the opaque stone turned to a bright blue color.

"Wow, what happened?!"

The old lady just smiled. Naruto's reactions were so…uplifting.

"This necklace, or more specifically, the stone is attuned to one's health," the old lady held up a finger to stop Naruto from interrupting her. "Please Naruto-sama, let me finish my explanation." Seeing Naruto nod his head, she continued.

"When you channeled your chakra into the stone, it became attuned to your health. Your health will be reflected in the colors. When you are healthy and fine, the stone will be blue. If it turns green, it means you are poisoned, purple if you are in danger, red if you are wounded, grey if you are dying or mortally wounded, and black if you are dead. The brightness and darkness also reflects your health. The brighter the color is, the closer you are to being safe. For example, a bright red means that you are close to being healed, whereas a dark red means you are close to becoming mortally wounded."

"These necklaces are usually given to spouses, so the spouses will always know the condition of the other. A rather useful gift for someone worried about you back home while you are on a mission, eh?"

Naruto just blushed. He could see Hinata worrying about his health while he was on a mission. This would be a great gift! When he gave it to her, then she wouldn't have to worry about his health while he was on a mission! Unless it turned red or gray or…black. Ah well, it was still better than nothing!

"Can I have this?"

"Of course Naruto-sama. Let me stick it in a nice box."

After carefully placing the gift in a box and wrapping it up, the old lady handed the box to Naruto. "Here you go Naruto-sama, I hope the girl you give it to likes it."

Naruto blushed. "T-thanks. I hope she likes it too! See ya around!"

Inari and Naruto started walking back to Tazuna's house for dinner. Along the way, Inari couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's red face. Naruto retaliated by punching Inari in the head.

--

"Oi, you done yet?"

"Yup, call the boss over."

"Call him, I'll just dispel myself."

"Fine. Hurry up!"

"Man, don't get your panties in a knot. See ya!"

--

A rush of information flooded through Naruto's mind. He saw a cave in a forest, a large seal in said cave, and five very annoyed looking Naruto Kage Bunshins.

"Oi, Inari, I gotta go do something by myself really quick. I'll be back for dinner. Tell Tazuna and Tsunami I'll be there soon, and not to wait up for me, okay?"

"Sure thing Naruto."

"Thanks a bunch." As soon as Naruto finished thanking Inari, he ran into the forest.

It took him about five minutes to reach the cave. When he got there, he dismissed the remaining Kage Bunshin. Tentatively, he stepped into the cave. Even though he had memories of drawing the seal, he hadn't expected it to be so big. The cave was roughly seven feet tall, four feet wide, and who knows how deep it was. The seal, was in a basic circular shape, and the diameter was roughly three feet. He had to be extremely careful not to smudge any parts of the seal.

'_So…now what do I do?'_

'_**It's just like any other times you've summoned toads, but without any hand seals. Just place one hand on the ground, and push enough chakra through your hand to summon Gamabunta…five times.'**_

'_Enough to summon Gamabunta?!'_

'_**Yes, you do want to speak to FIVE boss summons correct?'**_

'_Eh, I guess you're right. Here it goes!'_

Naruto slammed his right hand into the center of the seal and pushed as much chakra as he could through his hand. Then…

Nothing happened.

'_Did I do it wrong?'_

'_**Patience otouto, patience.'**_

'_But I thought it would happen right away, like a regular summoning!'_

'_**Regular summoning rules have very little to do with what we just did.'**_

'_But…'_

Naruto's thought were cut off when a cloud of smoke obscured his vision. He waited excitedly, hoping to see five boss summons.

'_Aneue…if five boss summons come here…then won't I get crushed? They aren't going to fit in this cave!'_

'…_**Ooops? Don't worry, I'll heal you.'**_

'…'_Ooops?' That's all you can say? I might die!'_

'_**No you won't.'**_

Before Naruto could continue arguing, the smoke cleared. In its place stood…a small toad. The toad was smaller than Ton-ton, and looked a lot like Gamakichi, but was a bright blue instead of a bright orange. Naruto knew this particular toad very well.

"Gamachibi, what are you doing here?!"

"Naruto-niisan, Pops told me to tell you that it'll take a few days before the council you want can meet with you. Something about finding two bosses and one of them is a reclusive old bat."

"Man, I guess I can wait. Thanks for coming here. Hey, I didn't know that your pops was on the council! Who else is on it?"

"Don't know, don't care. It's not for me to know, I'm not old enough to be dealing with this stuff. Hey, you got any sweets?"

Naruto fished around in his pockets for a scroll he had just for this occasion. He pulled one out, placed it on the ground, but his thumb, and spread his blood on it. It opened up to reveal a pile of candy.

"Take one piece. You hear me? Only **one** piece! Last time I let you take as much as you wanted, you took all of my candy!"

"Hai, hai, only one piece." The diminutive toad picked a chocolate bar. "Thanks, see ya around!"

Naruto sighed. He didn't really feel like waiting.

'_**You need to go back to Konoha.'**_

'_Eh? Why?'_

'_**You've been gone for roughly two days now. Who knows how long it'll take for the council to be ready. It could go past a week, and you don't want to be declared a nuke-nin, do you?'**_

'_Eh, you're right. I'll go right now!'_

'_**No, you're going to Tazuna's house to eat first.'**_

'_Oh, okay. Eating sounds really good.'_

Kyuubi shook her head. No matter what happened, her otouto would always love to eat.

--

Author's Notes: Wow, you all manage to get through that? I don't need to call in a search and rescue team do I?

I want to thank everyone who reviewed; you don't know how much it means to me that you took the time to review. So, would you be kind enough to leave another review and if you really feel like it, tell all your friends on the site about my story? Thanks!

It may take a while before chapter three is posted, because I have a Christmas/Hinata's birthday one-shot that I plan on writing, and I still have a beta job to do. Hopefully it won't take three months to come out! I'll try to update my progress on my author's page. Have a great Christmas or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate, and I'll see you all soon (hopefully)!

1. "Spiraling Into Depression" played by the awesome band, _Into Eternity_. The lyrics just seemed to match Hinata's mood.

2. Soutou Rou (Double Headed Wolf): If I'm correct, then this is the jutsu that allows Kiba and Akamaru to merge into one werewolf-like body with two heads.

3.**Gatsuuga (Piercing Fang): Makes the user spin like a tornado, cutting all in its path. Usually done in conjunction with the Juujuin Bunshin.**

4. **Juujuin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone): Allows an animal to take on a human form, or for the human to take on an animal form. Significant damage will cause the jutsu to cancel, sending the user back to their original form.**

5. Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique): Allows the user to connect their shadow to a target. A "connected" target does the exact movements that the user makes.

Author's Notes: All the information on the jutsus come from a great website, don't even think that I got the information for the jutsus from my memory.


	3. The Waiting

"So we should expect to be attacked from the north-west by Iwa

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, my stories wouldn't be here. They would be the actual manga…or not. Who knows?

Author's Note: Well, here's the third chapter! I was working on my second story, _Here's To Looking At You._ If you haven't already, please check it out and review. There are two chapters posted, but not many reviews for it. I have to admit, I was highly disappointed with the amount of reviews that I received for it. Is it that bad? And yes, Naruto _is_ in both chapters, even if I don't mention him by name.

This is 63 pages long; for some reason, my chapters keep on getting longer and longer, I have no idea. I actually thought that this would be a twenty page chapter! This chapter is what I cut off from chapter three, so I thought I would have trouble getting to twenty pages.

Anyways, I'll add some more in the Author's Note at the end of the chapter. Please read it. But for now, enjoy chapter three!

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self Talk**"

'_**Demon Thoughts**_'

Last Time:

Before Naruto could continue arguing, the smoke cleared. In its place stood…a small toad. The toad was smaller than Ton-ton, and looked a lot like Gamakichi, but was a bright blue instead of a bright orange. Naruto knew this particular toad very well.

"Gamachibi, what are you doing here?!"

"Naruto-niisan, Pops told me to tell you that it'll take a few days before the council you want can meet with you. Something about finding two bosses and one of them is a reclusive old bat."

"Man, I guess I can wait. Thanks for coming here. Hey, I didn't know that your pops was on the council! Who else is on it?"

"Don't know, don't care. It's not for me to know, I'm not old enough to be dealing with this stuff. Hey, you got any sweets?"

Naruto fished around in his pockets for a scroll he had just for this occasion. He pulled one out, placed it on the ground, but his thumb, and spread his blood on it. It opened up to reveal a pile of candy.

"Take one piece. You hear me? Only **one** piece! Last time I let you take as much as you wanted, you took all of my candy!"

"Hai, hai, only one piece." The diminutive toad picked a chocolate bar. "Thanks, see ya around!"

Naruto sighed. He didn't really feel like waiting.

'_**You need to go back to Konoha.'**_

'_Eh? Why?'_

'_**You've been gone for roughly two days now. Who knows how long it'll take for the council to be ready. It could go past a week, and you don't want to be declared a nuke-nin, do you?'**_

'_Eh, you're right. I'll go right now!'_

'_**No, you're going to Tazuna's house to eat first.'**_

'_Oh, okay. Eating sounds really good.'_

Kyuubi shook her head. No matter what happened, her otouto would always love to eat.

--

Begin:

Chapter 3: The Waiting

"So we should expect to be attacked from the north-west by Iwa. Kumo will probably go by sea to attack us from the north-east. And of course, Oto will attack us from the north," Jiraiya stated as he stared down at a map of the Elemental Countries.

"Hai, which is why I have several teams around Fire Country's borders. If any of the villages decide to attack us earlier or come in from a different direction than we suspect, then we'll have an advanced warning," Tsunade stated. She rubbed her eyes and sighed; the two loyal Sannin were currently planning the defense of Konoha for the upcoming attack.

"The only problem is Akatsuki," mused Jiraiya. "We still don't know where their base of operations is, which means that they could attack us from any side. If I were them, I would attack Knohoa from the south. If they do that, then we will have to fight the battle on four fronts," Jiraiya solemnly stated.

"Hmmm..I guess we could set up rapid response teams and have them stationed somewhere in the center of Knoha. That way, we could easily send them off to reinforce any front and it wouldn't take too long for them to get there."

"Good idea Tsu-chan. Some of the teams should be specialized for fighting off enemies from each hidden village. Last time I checked there were a few Jounins with a primary elemental affinity for Raiton ninjutsus; some of those could be put on a squad or two with the sole purpose of defeating opponents from Iwa. We can't really counter shinobi from Oto or Akatsuki except with strong, well rounded squads. The main problem is Kumo; after Sarutobi Asuma's death, Naruto is the only person left in Konoha with a primary elemental affinity for Fuuton ninjutsus," Jiraiya proposed.

"Speaking of Naruto, do you have any idea what his big plan is?" Tsunade questioned.

"Not a clue. Probably something brilliant though; he'll come through for us, don't worry. Whenever he was working on a new seal, he would seclude himself for a few days before reemerging with a new seal. I wouldn't worry about him Tsu-chan. He's a big boy now; he can take care of himself."

"I know that Jiraiya, but it doesn't make it any easier."

"Of course not. So, what do you think about having pots of boiling oil mounted on the walls?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya's suggestion. "Boiling oil? What, are you going to summon Gamabunta and have him spew out some oil for you?"

"No, I doubt we could find enough pots to hold a fourth of the oil Gamabunta can release in one spit. I was actually thinking of using Gamakichi."

"Gamakichi? The little guy that you summoned during the fight with Orochimaru three years back?"

"Yeah, that's the guy. You wouldn't recognize him though; he and his brother grew a lot bigger. They're about the size of a large horse now."

"Boiling oil doesn't sound like a bad idea. Anything else your summons can do?" Tsunade questioned.

--

Naruto jumped from branch to branch, moving at an incredibly fast speed. He figured that he would be traveling back and forth from Konoha to Wave quite a bit so he decided to make his trip into an endurance test. Before now, he had never really tested to see how long he could run at his fastest for; now was as good as a time as ever.

As the village gates came into view, Naruto's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since the fine dinner that Tsunami had cooked for him last night. He had left early in the morning, hours before anyone else in the household was awake. Naruto left a note on the table thanking them for their hospitality and that he would see them in a few days. After stopping to get a quick drink of water from the nearby stream, Naruto started heading towards Konoha.

Kyuubi was resting or grooming or something. He wasn't quite sure what she was doing. All he knew was that when he tried to contact her, she said that she needed some time alone in order to prepare for the upcoming trials. Seeing as she couldn't train, or at least, he didn't think she could, that left sleeping or grooming or whatever it was that girls did to get ready for big events. Naruto was still mystified by the actions of the fairer gender. Why did some kunoichi spend so much time on looking good when they should have been training? It just didn't make any sense to him. After all, if they prettied themselves up before a mission, wouldn't that make other shinobi with lower standards of morals even more eager to…engage in nefarious acts?

As his thoughts turned towards kunoichi, he smiled as he thought of one particular kunoichi. She had never fawned over Sasuke-teme during their time at the Academy. He frowned as he realized that he didn't know much about her before she graduated from the Academy. Was he so preoccupied with wooing Sakura-neechan that he didn't notice her?

"Halt, who goes there?"

Naruto smiled as he stared up at the two gate guards. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized that he was already in front of the gates. And these two particular gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, were always fun to talk with because they also had a love for pranks and jokes.

"Don't tell me that you forgot who I am already!" Naruto shouted with fake despair.

"Hmm…blond hair and blue eyes…nope, doesn't ring a bell does it Kotetsu?"

"Hmm…nope, can't remember anyone with blond hair and blue eyes Izumo. I didn't think that any Yamanaka's were out on solo missions."

"In that case, perhaps I should talk to Baachan and tell her how much you two love guarding her office despite your protests."

The two Chuunin paled. "Oh, is that you Naruto? I didn't recognize you for a second! Welcome back!" Izumo stated as he looked through the boy's papers before he motioned for the gates to be opened. Even though being a gate guard was one of the most boring jobs, it still beat having to guard the Hokage's office. Besides, things or people, usually Naruto, tended to be thrown out of her office.

"Well, as fun as it is talking to you two, I really have to go and talk to Baachan," Naruto shouted over his shoulder as he walked by.

"Well, I'm glad that we're not guarding the Hokage's office today," Kotetsu stated with a sigh of relief.

"Want to bet if we can see him from here when he goes flying?" Izumo questioned with a small grin on his face.

"A weeks pay that we can see him and that he's in the air for five seconds before he lands."

"Fine. He'll be in the air for ten seconds though; I heard that Tsunade-sama has been going to the office earlier and leaving later than usual lately. She's bound to be in a bad mood today."

--

"Where do you think we should place the Rookie teams? I think that Team Eight should be outside of Konoha and help with the reconnaissance teams," Tsunade stated. "They are already highly skilled in the art of information gathering, and the two months of training they're going on now should only increase their skill."

Jiraiya was silent for a moment as he considered the options. "Hmm…that would be a good idea. I suggest that you send them on reconnaissance missions as soon as their two month training period is up. Give them the chance to be promoted to Jounin on an infiltration mission or something; they certainly have the skill to be promoted. However, when the invasion comes closer, I think that they should be back in Konoha to help us fight."

"What? Why? They're a reconnaissance team, not a combat team!"

"True, but they could easily become a great combat team. Think about the members of the team; the Inuzuka has brute strength, the Aburame has deceptive tactics, and the Hyuuga's taijutsu is devastating. What we need for the invasion is not a bunch of reconnaissance teams, but combat teams," Jiraiya reasoned.

"I guess you're right. I'll tell Yamato to change their training regimen from focusing on reconnaissance to combat. At the end of their training, I'll talk to Yamato to see if he thinks that they're ready for a mission without a Jounin to supervise. If they do well enough, then they'll be promoted to Jounin."

A knock at the door interrupted the two Sannin. Tsunade raised her eybrow; she had told Shizune that they were not to be disturbed. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and Naruto walked in.

"Back already Gaki? I thought that you were going to be gone a week."

"Things are going to take a bit longer than I expected. I have to stay at least another week Ero-sennin."

"Another week? Naruto, I don't think I can excuse you from duty for that long. With all the plans that you made, I need to have as many shinobi going on missions as I can. Even though you're still a Genin, you're strong enough to be a Jounin. I'm sending Sakura and Sai on a C-ranked mission by themselves tomorrow, because you requested a week off!"

"Baa-chan…no, Hokage-sama, what I need to do could turn the tide of the invasion!"

Jiraiya interrupted before the two could get into another argument. "Gaki, if you tell us what you're trying to do, then we can see if giving you another week is worth it," Jiraiya reasoned.

'_Aneue…should I tell them?'_

'_**Hmm…your Hokage seems to be rather determined to keep you here for missions. I guess the only way that we'll be able to attend the Trials is if you tell her.'**_

Naruto bit his thumb and drew the same seal that Jiraiya had used earlier on that week on the floor. Tsunade was surprised at the speed that he drew the seal; he drew it a bit faster than Jiraiya had.

"What I say remains between us, no one else may know. Especially not the Council; I don't need more assa…" Naruto shut up before he said too much. Unfortunately, it was too late.

The two older shinobi in the room frowned. "What were you about to say Naruto?" questioned Tsunade.

"Well, what I was working on was a…"

"Not that, about the Council! What is it that you don't need?!" Tsunade questioned narrowing her eyes even further. Her chakra levels flared slightly before she managed to get her temper under control_. 'I'm sure he wasn't about to it. I've just been working too hard, that's all,'_ she reassured herself.

'_**You really screwed up this time otouto. Even I wouldn't be able to get out of it.'**_

'_Gee, thanks a lot for your reassurance.'_

"If I tell you, both of you have to promise that neither one of will you do something that you will both regret later, okay?"

"Gah, I promise Gaki. Get on with it!"

"Hokage-sama? Do I have your word?"

Tsunade frowned. It seemed like the only way she would find out would be by promising to stay in control. "Hai," she answered tersely.

Naruto nodded, apparently satisfied. "Well, you all know how I'm the most hate person in this village. And…well, some of the Council members tried to get rid of me."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "So those old bats actually tried to attack you? The only ones that would prove a problem for you would be the major clan heads, but most of them are on your side, especially since Fugaku bought the dust. Sensei's old teammates would have been a problem for you...that is, if they still trained instead of trying to gain more political power."

"Eh, they didn't come after me. At least, not in person. They sent some assassins after me every so after. Danzo even sent some of his Ne ANBU after me."

After hearing his statement, the two older shinobi's chakra levels instantly rose.

"How the hell could Sensei have let them send assassins and ANBU after you?!" Jiraiya yelled.

"I'm going to rip Danzo's head off!" roared Tsunade as she got up from her desk.

Naruto held up both of his hands. "Hold it! You promised you wouldn't do anything you would regret!"

"Oh, I'm not going to regret killing Danzo one bit. You just gave me an excuse to! Lately, he's been a rather annoying thorn in my side!"

"You would regret killing him! If you kill him, think of the political scandal you would have on your hands!"

"We have reason to suspect that he was trying to contact Orochimaru. That's more than enough reason to kill him," Tsunade answered. "We were just waiting for him to make his next move. Besides, if we need more information Jiraiya can just dig something up. Right?"

"Hai," Jiraiya answered. He was pissed; how dare that prick try to kill Naruto!

"You can't kill him yet! Think of the chances that we would have to get more information on Orochimaru if we let him live!"

"What he tried to do to you is unforgivable!" Tsunade yelled.

"Gaki, you're one of the most forgiving people that I have ever met, but there is a time when you have to put your foot down! I don't know _why_ Sensei let this go on…" Jiraiya scolded.

"I know! But I'm just doing what's the best for Konoha! We'll have a better chance of surviving if we have more information on Orochimaru's plans! You two should know better than anyone how ingenious Orochimaru's plans are! And what makes you two think that this happened when Ojiisan was alive?" Naruto retaliated.

Jiraiya and Tsunade froze as Naruto's words registered through their brains.

"W-what do you mean? Are you saying that this happened _after_ Sensei died?" Jiraiya hesitatingly asked. Tsunade grasped her desk as she waited to hear what Naruto had to say. If the assassination attempts had occurred after she had become Hokage…well, then that was unforgivable. She couldn't have been so lax on the job that she hadn't even noticed that Naruto was being targeted…could she?

"What else could I mean?" Naruto asked scathingly.

"W-when?" Tsunade managed to choke out.

"When I was in the hospital three years ago, after the failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke."

"How? I had guards there!" Tsunade shouted. Had she failed to protect yet another one of her precious people?

"I know. One of the guards was a Ne ANBU; apparently he received orders from Danzo to kill me."

"What happened?" Jiraiya questioned.

"He chose to attack at night. I woke up just as he was about to stab me with a kunai. I rolled to the side right before he brought the kunai down. The Ne ANBU went through a set of hand seals; at the time I didn't know what it was. Now, I know that it was a sound containment ninjutsu."

Tsunade closed her eyes. It was so hard for her to hear about what had happened to Naruto. If only she had stayed in his room, then maybe she would have been able to protect him. Yet once again, she was unable to protect her precious person.

"D-did the other ANBU come to help?" Tsunade asked. If the other ANBU had helped save Naruto's life, then she would reward him generously. If not…well, then there would be hell to pay.

"No. After the attack, I found him under a high-level genjutsu. Anyways, after I doged the Ne ANBU's first attack, I manage to stun him by releasing some of Kyuubi's killing intent. While he was stunned, I use the few seconds I had to form a Rasengan and shoved it into his chest. Or, I tried. At the last second, he managed to recover his senses and ducked."

"Instead of killing him with my Rasengan, I only disabled his left arm. Normally, it would've taken off his left arm, but I was still tired from my fight with Sasuke. Anyways, with his left arm useless, I managed to grab a spare kunai that I had and slit his throat."

"I had to burn the body and wash all of the blood stains; if any of the nurses had seen the body or blood, then they would have thought that I had gone on a bloody rampage and have me executed right there and then," Naruto finished.

Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned. Neither one had ever thought that there would be an assassination attempt on Naruto's life right under their noses.

"N-naruto…I'm so sorry! I never thought that anyone would go as far as to attack you in our village!" Tsunade sobbed.

Naruto let a sad smile grace his face. "Don't worry about it Baachan. What's done is done. I mean, it's not like you ordered the attack on me. I know that you care about me…even if you are an old deceptive granny!"

At first, Tsunade was overwhelmed with joy; she had feared that he would hate her for not protecting him. Then, what she heard what he had called him, all feelings of attachment she had felt towards him was replaced with anger.

The only reason she let the blonde shinobi get away with calling her 'Baachan' was because she realized that he tended to give the people close to him insulting nicknames. He called Jiraiya 'Ero-sennin' and Sensei was called 'Ojiisan'. But when he used insulting terms other than 'Baachan', that was going past the line.

'_**You really want to get yourself killed, don't you?'**_ Kyuubi asked as she felt Tsunade's chakra levels spike yet again.

'_Bah, you know that I don't like having the atmosphere all sappy and depressing.'_

'_**That may be so, but you're still going to kill yourself one of these days with these insults of yours otouto.'**_

'_Well, at least I'll have a laugh before I die.'_

Kyuubi shook her head in disbelief. She was being serious; one day, he might anger the wrong person with his jokes and find himself in a fight he couldn't win.

"Okay, okay, let's get back to the topic. Gaki, we're both sorry that we weren't there for you. Now, what was this you were doing in Wave?" Jiraiya interrupted.

Naruto sighed. He wasn't looking forward to their reactions when they heard that he was trying to get Kyuubi to be instated as a Boss summon. Oh well, best to get it out of the way.

"Well…I'm trying to get Kyuubi to be inaugurated as a Boss summon, which would allow someone with the contract, namely me, summon members of the Kitsune clan," Naruto said before he covered his ears with his hands. The seal he inscribed on the floor would keep all noise from exiting the room, but it did nothing to protect his ear drums if he was inside the targeted area.

For a second, the two older shinobi just stared blankly at Naruto. Then as one, the two yelled, "NANI?!"

--

Hinata was in her room packing supplies for a two-month training trip. She was glad that she had replenished her supply of basic shinobi supplies like kunai, shuriken, travel rations, and a basic first aid kit a few days ago because that meant that she didn't have to spend time shopping. Instead of having to go and buy new supplies, she decided that as soon as she finished packing she would take a nap. It would be best for her to rest before Team Eight left for their two-month training trip.

To be honest, Hinata was rather surprised that Team Eight was given the opportunity to go train. They were already rather skilled in the arts of information gathering; wouldn't it make more sense to send a newer team out on the training trip while her team did the missions?

Well, maybe the training trip wouldn't be so bad. After all, if she trained herself to exhaustion, then she wouldn't have time to think of the most painful events that had happened to her recently.

_**Flashback Begin (Earlier that morning)**_

Kurenai-sensei and another Konoha Jounin were sitting underneath a tree at Team Eight's designated training field as the three Chuunin walked there.

"Good morning," greeted Kurenai. "Team, this is Yamato. From now on, you three will refer to him as Yamato-sensei, understood?"

Kiba scratched behind his ear. "Eh, why? Aren't you our sensei, Kurenai-sensei?"

Shino sighed in frustration. "Kiba-san, when women are pregnant, then they tend to be less mobile than they used to be. It is only logically that Kurenai-sensei would ask for some time off during her months of pregnancy."

"Oh, I get it," Kiba stated even though he was still slightly confused.

"Kiba-kun, think of your ninken. When t-t-the mother is p-p-pregnant, then she d-doesn't run around a-as much, right?" Hinata stated in an attempt to clarify things for her loudest teammate.

Kiba grinned. "Oh, I get it! Thanks Hinata-chan, you're so smart!"

Hinata ducked her head a little as a small blush appeared on her face_. 'If only that was Naruto-k…Naruto-san complimenting me. No, I can't think like that…not anymore. He has moved on and so must I...I think.'_

Kurenai coughed to get her subordinates' attention. "I am not planning to take any time off; at least, not yet anyways. Yamato and I will both be your senseis."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why? What's up with getting two senseis?"

Kureani sighed and turned her gaze towards Yamato. She didn't know how she was going to explain to her students that they would be going on a two-month training trip. It wasn't like she could tell them that they were being trained for an invasion. Hokage-sama didn't want anyone outside of those that were in the room when the information was revealed and the Council to have knowledge of what was to come.

"Hokage-sama is very impressed with your team," Yamato lied, "As a reward, she has appointed me to help train you for two months. You will all be going on a two month training trip," Yamato explained.

Kiba grinned. Finally! The Hokage had finally seen how strong he was and decided to give him further training!

"Yamato-sensei, do you specialize in reconnaissance?" Shino questioned.

Yamato shook his head. "Not really. I was in ANBU though. I'm not as skilled in it as Kurenai-san, though."

"Well, then what are you here for?" brashly asked Kiba.

"K-kiba-kun! Y-you should b-b-be more r-r-respectful!" gently chided Hinata.

Kiba sighed. He hated being respectful, but if it pleased Hinata-chan, then he would. He would do whatever she wanted him to…at least, until she was his. "Fine. What are you here for, _Yamato-sensei_?" Kiba questioned again, placing extra emphasis on 'Yamato-sensei'.

Yamato was frustrated, but he didn't let it show on his face. For some reason, the young Inuzuka's brashness greatly irritated him. He wasn't sure why though; after all, Naruto-san acted very similar. When Naruto-san was being disrespectful, he did it because he was close to the person. With this Inuzuka, there was no hint of affection in his voice.

"I'm here to help you guys improve your combat skills."

Shino and Hinata both narrowed their eyes in confusion; why were they spending two months to improve their combat skills? True, every shinobi should always be able to fight, but in most cases their team was just used to gather intelligence and then get the information back to the Hokage at any cost. If they were being chased, then they would fight until they were able to find an opening and escape.

On the other hand, Kiba was literally drooling with anticipation. To be honest, he had always been a bit bored with the missions that his team went on; he was an Inuzuka, the clan with the best fighters, he should be going on missions that required muscle, not his nose.

Kurenai and Yamato did not fail to notice the looks on the Chuunins' faces; they both accurately figured out what each was thinking.

"Let me guess, you're wondering why a reconnaissance team would go on a training trip for two months in order to improve their combat skills, correct?" questioned Yamato.

Hinata and Shino nodded, while Kiba grunted. He wasn't really interested in the reason why; he wanted to learn how to get more powerful, damn it!

"Well, after the training is up, all three of you will have the chance to go on a mission to see if you deserve to be promoted to the rank of Jounin," Kureani clarified with a smile on her face.

"J-j-jounin?" Hinata asked with surprise.

"Hai," Yamato stated.

"This…is unusual," Shino stated. "Usually, sixteen year olds are not given the opportunity to become Jounin."

"You are correct Shino-kun," Kureani said. "But you guys have shown a skill level much higher than other Chuunin, so it would be unfair to continue to classify you three as such. Whether or not you have what it takes to become a Jounin though, still remains to be seen."

"A-ano…where will w-w-we be training?" Hinata timidly asked.

"There are several locations that I have picked out. They are all north-east of Konoha," Yamato answered.

"So we're not going to be training inside the village?" questioned Kiba.

"Correct. For the entirety of our two-month long training trip, we will be outside of the village."

"What do you suggest that we pack Yamato-sensei?" Shino asked logically.

"Pack light; you only need to bring enough basic shinobi supplies for two months. You don't need to bring that much food however; we can replenish our supplies from the land. Hahaoya Tsuchi (Mother Earth) is truly a marvelous being."

"Hahaoya Tsuchi?" Kiba repeated, not recognizing the phrase. "The hell is Hahaoya Tsuchi?" Though the other members of Team Eight did not agree with his crudeness, the same question crossed their minds.

Yamato's face darkened for a second, but Kurenai was the only one who noticed it. He was angry, but he forced himself to get his temper under control. How he hated the arrogance of this particular Inuzuka.

"Hahaoya Tsuchi…Mother Earth. Similar to how many believe in a greater force, such as Kami-sama, I believe that there is a force that is the Earth."

"You think that the planet is a living being?" Kiba asked incredulously.

"But of course. Every living being on this planet uses something from the planet to survive. Without the planet, then nothing here would be able to survive."

"Eh…did you get hit on the head while you were an ANBU?" Kiba stated. What respect he had for the former ANBU member disappeared as he realized that his new sensei was a bit crazy.

Kurenai hit her arrogant student on the head. "Kiba!" she scolded, "Show some respect!"

"It is okay. Not many hold the same beliefs that I do," stated Yamato.

Inwardly, he sighed. How he hated the fact that so many shinobi didn't have any respect for the planet. Without the planet, none of them would be alive! Why was it so hard for them to understand that every tree they destroyed practicing ninjutsu and taijutsu had to be replaced?

Of the shinobi assembled at the training ground, Kurenai was the only one who knew why he held that belief. She knew of his unique skill, the bloodline that once exclusively belonged to the Senju clan. Kurenai supposed that if she held such a connection to the planet, she too would believe that the planet was alive. After all, if she was able to cause plants to grow she would feel that it was alive. Creating plants from nothing was much different than just being able to manipulate elements.

"It is approximately sixteen hundred hours. Go home, prepare your packs, and get some rest or relax, whatever you want. We will meet here at twenty-one hundred hours before we embark. Any more questions?" seeing that there were none, Yamato dismissed them.

_**Flashback End**_

After they had been dismissed, Hinata had left straight for her house to pack, without saying a word to anyone. She didn't want to linger around in case Kiba asked her out again. Hinata still wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

Her broken heart told her to wait for Naruto-kun. Her brain told her that Naruto-san was happy with Sakura-san and that she would never be close enough to him to call her Naruto-kun again. Not that they were close in the first place, but that was besides the point.

What she didn't know though, was if she had fun last night. During their dinner, Hinata had kept on thinking about how much fun it would have been if Naruto-san had been with her instead of Kiba-kun. Did she do what made Naruto-san happy, or do what made her happy? She was so confused.

Tiredly, she got into bed. It wouldn't do for her to stay up and ponder her feelings. Not now, not while she had to get some sleep before she went on a training trip. She was soon sound asleep.

--

"Summon…Kyuubi…you?" a stunned Jiraiya managed to choke out.

Tsunade, seemed to realize that speaking wasn't an option for her, seeing as her eyes were wide and her jaw was wide open.

Naruto was having the time of his life; it wasn't often that one got to see the two strongest shinobi of Konoha shocked into silence.

Jiraiya finally managed to gather his thoughts and create a sentence that made sense. "Gaki…are you insane?!"

This…this was golden! Naruto knew that an opportunity like this was once in a lifetime; he planned to make the most of it! He scratched his chin in mock concentration. "Dunno. Aren't you the one who called me insane every time I trained myself into the ground?"

"Damn it Gaki! Quit being a smart ass!"

"Naruto…I know this village hasn't treated you as you should have been, but do you think that releasing the Kyuubi will make you feel better?" reasoned Tsunade. If Naruto did let the Kyuubi loose…then as Hokage, she would have to do everything in her power to stop it. Even if that meant killing Naruto. As a woman…killing Naruto would kill her.

"Gaki, listen to her. She's right you know; do you want to let everyone in this village to die? I know that you're friends with the Kyuubi, but that still doesn't mean that you can release her!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Friends with the Kyuubi you say? Why wasn't I informed of this?"

Jiraiya chuckle nervously while Naruto glared at him. "Damn it Ero-sennin! You just had to open your damn mouth, didn't you? And both of you are talking about me releasing Kyuubi from my seal; I didn't say that. I just said that I wanted to make her my boss summon."

For the moment, Tsunade forgot all about Kyuubi and Naruto being friends. She, along with Jiraiya, had to process the information that Naruto had just told them. Jiraiya finally broke the silence.

"I don't see the difference between the two choices Gaki."

"Let me explain it to you. Hypothetically, if I was to rip the seal off of Kyuubi's cage, then she would be able to roam free once again. The way that the Yondaime designed the seal allows Kyuubi to roam free if I rip the seal fully knowing the consequences and if I am not in any way being manipulated. However, if I'm under, say a genjutsu to rip the seal off, then Kyuubi dies…along with me."

"Jiraiya, did you tell him about the seal?" questioned Tsunade. She didn't even know about that.

"Nah, Ero-sennin doesn't really know much more about the actual functions of this seal than you do, Baa-chan. Kyuubi told me about it; makes sense since she spent around twelve years doing nothing but staring at the seal."

"Anyways, back to the point. If I were to make Kyuubi into a boss summon, then she would be freed from the seal, and reside in the Spirit Realm along with the rest of the Kitsune clan. When I summon them though, then they'll come to our world. Essentially, I'm just trying to establish the entire Kitsune clan as a summon family."

"So…you don't want to destroy Konoha?" Tsunade tentatively questioned.

"Of course not!" yelled an exasperated Naruto. "I'll probably end up summoning Kyuubi in order to help us fight against Orochimaru and Akatsuki. I'm not too worried about Kumo and Iwa; those two don't have any significant summons."

"What do you have to in order for Kyuubi to become a boss summon?" questioned Jiraiya.

"Hmmm…to be honest, I don't know," Naruto said causing the two to sweat-drop. "I have to talk to a Summon Council made up of five boss summons and then go through five trials; one trial from each boss."

"Which boss summons are on the Council? Maybe I have some information on them."

"No clue Ero-sennin. Actually, we both know one of them-Gamabunta."

"What?!" Jiraiya stated as his eyes bulged out. "The old fart never told me he was part of a council," he grumbled. "Hmph. You should be careful when you're doing his trial. Knowing him, he'll probably have a test of your will power."

"Bah, I already know that Ero-sennin. After all, I did pass his test to be welcomed as his clan's summoner three years ago."

"True. You should still be wary; I doubt this trial will be as easy as it was before," warned the Gama-sennin.

"Hai. Anyways, Gamachibi told me that it would take a few days before they would be ready to meet with me."

"Why did you need the days off in the first place?" Tsunade questioned.

"I had to go to Wave to create a seal in order to summon the Council."

"Why Wave? Couldn't you just do it here?"

"That wouldn't have worked Baa-chan. I had to get as close as I could to the location where I first accessed Kyuubi's power. I'm sure that you know I created a whole horde of Kage Bunshin to save Iruka after Mizuki tricked me into stealing the Forbidden Scroll for him. But did you know that all those Kage Bunshin were made from using my _own_ chakra?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade glanced at one another with an amused look on their face.

"Gaki, how many times have I told you that you underestimate your own chakra reserves? You keep on thinking that you're using minute amounts of Kyuubi's chakra, but you're not. The only times I've actually seen you run out of chakra is when you train all day."

"Well excuse me for never seeing anyone else with as much chakra as me Ero-sennin!"

"Calm down Gaki. Now, you probably have almost twice as much chakra than I do. When you graduated from the Academy, you probably had more chakra than Kakashi. It's probably because your body has had to deal with the large amount of Kyuubi's chakra in your body ever since you were born. Normally, a jinchuuriki's natural chakra reserves wouldn't increase, but I have a theory."

"Whenever anyone feels threatened, their chakra levels rise beyond what it normally is. This is because of the body's fight-or-flight function. Whenever it is being accessed, the body will temporarily increase the amount of chakra that can flow through the Gates. Simply put, it is like a watered down version of opening one's Gates."

"I have compared my information regarding your chakra reserves and those of other jinchuurikis, and none of their chakra reserves are anywhere near as large as yours. Of course, the jinchuuriki with the strongest Bijuu I have information on is the Rokubi, but my theory still has merit. While being in the presence of any of the Bijuu is terrifying, I think that only those with seven tails or more is even worse."

"Unless those with less than six tails want others to feel their killing intent, no one will. The stronger three though, are a different matter. Since they are so powerful, I think that they are subconsciously releasing their killing intent. Think of the effect that would have on a baby. The baby's body would have its fight-or-flight mechanism activated all the time."

"With it on all the time Naruto, your body would get used to having your Gates slightly open. Over time, I think that your Gates got stuck open, allowing more chakra to flow through. I suspect this process occurred over the span of several years until you got used to the killing intent," Jiraiya concluded.

"The villager's and shinobi's killing intent didn't help," muttered Naruto as his eyes darkened.

Tsunade stared sadly at the young shinobi who reminded her so much of her late fiancé and otouto. He had gone through so much, and did so much for the village, but so many still refused to see him as anything other than the Kyuubi reborn. It wasn't fair!

She had often wondered what made Naruto push himself so hard. For all of his actions, he only received praise from a few. Even after he defeated Gaara during the Suna/Oto invasion, people still stared disrespected him. So why did he do so much for a village that didn't give him the respect he deserved?

She didn't doubt that he knew of the negative reaction that summoning the Kyuubi would have towards him, even if Kyuubi was defending Konoha. If Naruto really wanted to do this…then who was she to stop him? Even if she did stop him, she knew that he would become a nuke-nin in order to do what he had to do. However, before she gave her consent, there was still one question that had to be answered.

"Naruto…will having Kyuubi become a boss summon have any negative consequences for you? Besides the village's reaction; I mean, how can freeing Kyuubi with this process not kill you? The other...extractions of the Bijuu have all ended with the death of the container." questioned Tsunade.

"That's because humans were doing the extractions Baachan. Summon bosses have access to powers that humans do not. After all, they do live in the Spirit Realm; from what I hear, things don't really work the same way over there than they do here."

"Fine. I'll give you leave for one month because I'm not sure how long it will take for you to finish the trials. Whenever you're done, just come back. When are you leaving?"

"As soon as I get some ramen from Ichiraku's I'll be gone. I gotta go eat a lot and leave a big tip; I don't want to come back and find out that they're running out of business!"

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile. After everything that Naruto was about to do, ramen was still the most important thing to him.

"Well, I believe that it's time for me to eat now. Who knows when I'll get to taste ramen again? Ero-sennin, how many bowls should I get?"

Jiraiya scratched his chin while he thought. "Hmmm…at least ten."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she thought of the harm that eating ten bowls of ramen would have on the young shinobi. "Ten?! Are you crazy? That's way too much for you to eat Naruto!"

Naruto stared at her strangely. "Eh? It's not that many. I mean, I normally eat six bowls. But if I want to have enough energy to survive the Trials, then I'm going to need at least twelve bowls of ramen! You're an iryo-nin Baachan, so shouldn't you know that ramen gives you plenty of energy to fight?"

Tsunade just stared at the hyperactive shinobi in front of her. She had never heard of ramen giving anyone energy. Maybe it was because of all the carbohydrates, but those could be found in many other sources of food. She just chalked it up as being one of Naruto's quirks.

"You may go. Don't spend all of your money there!"

"Thanks Baachan! See you later Ero-sennin!" shouted Naruto as he jumped from the window.

"Believe it or not Tsu-chan, but ramen does give the Gaki more energy. I'm not sure if it's the stuff that he eats or if he gets so excited about eating it that he mentally thinks that it makes him stronger."

"Really now…so in that case drinking saki should make me stronger. Are you saying that when you go peeping you get stronger?"

"Well…I am able to endure large amounts of damage when I get caught peeping you know."

"Touché. Now, we have some things to discuss."

"Hmmm? And what would that be?"

"About this seal that Naruto invented…does it do anything else besides keep the sound from escaping and alerting you to the presence of anybody coming near?"

"Yup. You're probably wondering why your two guards didn't come in when we got angry, right? Somehow the Gaki managed to get it to conceal the chakra levels of the people in the room. It also keeps killing intent from escaping. So your two guards outside didn't feel our chakra levels increasing or our killing intent."

"Good. For a second there, I thought that I had incompetent guards. Now, what's this about Naruto being friends with the Kyuubi?" Tsunade questioned as her eyes narrowed.

Jiraiya gulped. There was no way he could avoid answering her question. "Um…they're friends. They got really close during our training trip." Instantly, Jiraiya knew that he had said the wrong thing.

"During their training trip you say? If you recall, I gave you specific orders to tell me everything that happened during your training trip. I suppose you two went peeping together, drank together, and Kami-sama forbid, but you went to a brothel together?" Tsunade said in a menacing voice.

"Well….there was that one time when I caught him smoking…"

"Smoking?! You let him smoke?! What type of sensei are you?"

"Bah, that was just once. He just wanted to try it. After all, if you're old enough to kill you're old enough to smoke," Jiraiya countered.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed even further. ""You know…you used to say the same thing about drinking."

"That's because it's true!"

"I remember a conversation I had with Katsuya years ago, and she was telling me about how stupid Gamabunta's last test before he accepted anyone as his summoner was. Care to tell me how Naruto passed it?"

"Eh, he didn't have a drink with him, if that's what you mean! Gamabunta only fought for him because he saved Gamakichi from Gaara!"

Tsunade let out a sigh of relief. "For a second there, I thought you were going to say that he drank when he was thirteen." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya and noticed that he was fidgeting. "Out with it pervert! You know something!"

"Eh…he wasn't thirteen when he drank."

"How old was he?!"

"Fourteen…but he was going to turn fifteen in ten months!"

"Fourteen? You let him drink when he was fourteen?!"

"No! He wanted to train with the toad summons so he summoned Gamabunta to see what combination attacks he could do. Of course, Gamabunta wasn't too happy that he was summoned because it was mating season so he told Naruto that if he ever wanted to summon any toads again, that he had to have a drink with him right then!"

"And how much did Naruto drink?"

"He got buzzed with the amount that it takes for me to get drunk. His tolerance is amazing, but I'm sure that it's because of the Kyuubi."

"You know that I'm going to have to hurt you, right?"

"Tsu-chan! Would you really attack her teammate?"

"You broke two of the rules that I gave you before you left for the training mission. You let him drink and smoke and you also kept information regarding his wellbeing from me. And for that…I'm going to have to hurt you!"

"Oh shit!" yelled Jiraiya before he ran out of the window, closely followed by the Hokage.

--

"Oh ramen, how I love you!" exclaimed Naruto as he sniffed the steaming bowl in front of him. Without further ado, he started to inhale the food. Teuchi and Ayame looked on with smiles on their faces as they saw the speed at which the young shinobi ate.

Ayame was smiling because she liked how Naruto never changed; no matter how many people he had killed (she was sure that he had killed before), he always managed to act like a little child when he ate his ramen. Teuchi was smiling because he knew that whenever his best customer ate this fast he was going to eat a lot of bowls, which meant a lot of money for him.

"Oi, another miso!"

"Coming right up," Ayame said as she walked towards the stove.

After finishing eleven more bowls, bringing his total to twelve bowls, Naruto stood up and placed a stack of bills on the counter. Ayame frowned as she took the money.

"Naruto-kun, you gave us too much money."

"No, it's a tip."

"Well, you don't have to tip us this big."

"Bah, don't worry about it. I'm gonna be gone for a week or so, and I don't want to come back and find out that my favorite restaurant went out of business!"

"Baka, we're not going to go out of business because you'll be gone for a week! We stayed open after you were gone for three _years_; I think Otousan and I can manage for a week without you."

"Huh, I always wondered how you guys got any business without me…"

Ayame grinned. "You know, one of your classmates came by on a regular basis while you were gone. I don't think she wanted us to go out of business either, judging by the size of her tips. From all the tips she gave us, I guess what they said about the Hyuuga clan being extremely rich was true."

"Hyuuga? You mean Hinata?"

"Yes, that's her name," Ayame said as her smile widened.

"Hmmm…I didn't know she liked ramen," Naruto stated.

"Oh, she likes ramen. Anyways, I can't take a tip this big."

"Still, I'd like you to have it. You could buy some make-up with it."

Teuchi backed away as soon as he heard the shinobi's comment. Despite Naruto's impressive skill as a shinobi, he had no skill at all when it came to dealing with women. He just didn't realize that he couldn't always be so direct; until he learned to speak before thinking, he would continue to get on the wrong side of many females…his daughter included.

"Are you saying that you think I'm ugly?" Ayame questioned in a menacing tone.

"Ano…no?"

"You make that sound like a question," Ayame stated with narrowed eyes.

"No, I'm not asking a question!"

"Really? Well then, give me one compliment about my looks!"

Naruto was stumped. How was he supposed to give a compliment about looks? There was only one place he could go for help.

'_Aneue! I need your help! Tell me what to say to Ayame.'_

'_**No.'**_

'_Why not?!'_

'_**You got yourself into this mess, so you can get yourself out of it. After all, haven't I been telling you to think before you speak?'**_

'_Gah, you're no help at all!'_

"Do you really find me so ugly that you can't even find a single compliment?"

"No! Ano…you're eyes are a very beautiful shade of brown! In fact, they remind me of the pork in ramen. The juicy pieces of pork that tastes so good…" Naruto's eyes started to glaze over as he thought of one of his favorite varieties of ramen.

'_**Smooth, comparing a girl to food. That won't get you slapped at all.'**_ Kyuubi stated, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts of food.

'_Huh? Why? I'm comparing her to one of the things that I love the most! That should be the highest compliment of all!'_ argued Naruto.

Kyuubi sighed. _**'One of these days, I'm going to give you a few lessons on how to properly woo females. You may be a highly accomplished shinobi, but you are an absolute idiot when it comes to romance.'**_

'_Bite me!'_

'_**You should get prepared to be slapped.'**_

Naruto stopped focusing on talking with Kyuubi and shifted his focus to Ayame. To his surprise, she was laughing.

"Hahaha, Naruto-kun you're just too easy to tease. You should've seen the look on your face!" In the back, Teuchi was laughing; he knew that his daughter had been teasing their best customer from the start.

"But seriously Naruto-kun, you shouldn't tell a girl that she needs to go buy some make-up. Even if you say it with the best intentions, not everybody will act like I did. I wasn't insulted because I knew that you meant well."

"Eh? You were teasing me?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well anyways, I need to get going. I'll see you guys in a week or so!"

"Stay safe!" Ayame yelled as Naruto ran out of the ramen stand.

"He's grown up so much, hasn't he?" Teuchi stated.

"Hai. But he's still completely clueless when it comes to girls."

"Hmm…maybe you could help him with that. You could give him a few dating tips."

"Maybe I should. After all, he's going need them if he plans on getting together with any girl."

"You do that. If that Inuzuka comes back with the Hyuuga girl, then I think I'll have to poison his ramen. I hate to admit it, but even the Inuzuka kid is better at flirting with girls than Naruto."

"Otousan, I don't think we have to resort to poison…at least, not yet."

--

Hinata stepped out of her bed and stretched. It was eight p.m., meaning that she had an hour before she had to go meet her team. As she thought about what she should do with the last hour before she had to leave, her stomach growled, so she headed towards the kitchen to get something to eat.

As she walked towards the kitchen, she received different reactions from the two factions of her clan. The Main House members stared at her with indifference; some even stared at her with disgust. Hinata just shrugged off their looks; their opinions didn't matter at all. She had learned a long time ago that her clan would never fully accept her for preferring to heal than to harm.

The looks she received from the Branch House members were the opposite. As she walked by, they offered her warm smiles. Before, they would go as far as to bow in her presence. She had put a stop to that though. She didn't want anyone bowing to her, it made her feel awkward.

When she walked into the kitchen, she smiled a bit. Besides the gardens, the kitchen was her favorite place in the compound. The cooks were always nice to her; they usually had fresh cinnamon buns set aside just for her.

"Hinata-sama! We just baked a fresh batch of cinnamon buns! Would you like one?" a cook asked as he held out a plate. The sweet desserts still had some steam coming off of them.

"Hai. I have been looking forward to having a cinnamon bun," she said as she reached for one. "Mmm…this is one of the best yet!"

The cook smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed them. I overheard Hiashi-sama talking about how you'll be gone for two months for a training trip, so the other cooks and I decided to cook you some cinnamon buns. We have several dozen; would you like us to pack them for you?"

Hinata smiled. "That would be nice, but I'm afraid that I won't have room to carry them. Our new sensei said that we should only pack light and bring only the essentials and a small amount of food. I think that he wants us to forage for our food."

The cook scratched his chin as he thought for a moment. "Hmmm…if you're traveling light, I guess you can't really bring these with you."

Hinata gave the cook an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if the cinnamon buns have to go to waste. I know how long it takes to make these."

"Don't worry about. I'm sure we can find someone to eat these."

"If you'll please excuse me, I'm going to go to the gardens before I leave." Hinata walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the gardens. Just before she reached the gardens, she heard someone calling her name.

"Hinata-sama! Please, wait up!"

Hinata turned around and saw the cook clutching something in a scroll in his hand.

"Hinata-sama, I would like you to have this," he said as he handed her the scroll.

Hinata stared at the scroll. "This…is a storage scroll, correct?"

The cook beamed, happy that she recognized it. "Hai. I used it when I was a shinobi many years ago. If it would please you, I would like you to have it."

Hinata stared at the scroll. She knew that the cook had been a shinobi years ago, until he had suffered a major wound that never let him retain his full mobility. "Arigato, but I can't take this. This should stay with you," she said as she handed the scroll back to him.

The cook reached forward and closed her hands over the scroll. "Nonsense. It was just collecting dust. Besides, I already took the liberty and stored some basic field rations in there. There's enough food for two and a half months; three if you stretch it."

Hinata took the scroll and placed it in her jacket pocket. "Arigato. I am in your debt."

"No, you're not. Just stay the way you are, that's all I ask. You give hope to every Branch Member of this clan and everyone who is seen as a servant. For that, _we_ are in your debt. Now, I'll let you go to the gardens. Goodbye Hinata-sama," the cook said and he walked away.

Hinata continued walking and eventually reached a secluded location of the gardens. There was a creek trickling nearby and multiple flowers all around her. This spot was special to her; her mother used to take her here and drink tea. Of the entire compound, Hinata could honestly say that this one spot was her favorite.

"Okaasan…how are you? I hope you're happy," Hinata said as she sat down on a stone bench and faced the creek. "I…have been better. Remember Naruto-kun? The boy I was always telling you about? Well, just recently he got together with the girl of his dreams. So I guess he's not Naruto-kun anymore…but Naruto-san."

Hinata shifted her gaze from the creek to the flowers. "What do you think I should do? Should I fight for his heart, or should I do what makes him the happiest? I want him to be happy…but I had always imagined that we would be happy together…not apart. If I let him go, then I could be with Kiba-kun."

"Kiba-kun already took me out on a date. Am I a bad person if I was imagining what it would be like if Naruto-kun was eating next to me instead of Kiba-kun? After our date, he asked me if I wanted to go on another date with him. I didn't know what to say, so I just said yes. Okaasan, I wish you were here. I miss you so much."

Hinata stood up and wiped away her unshed tears. "Okaasan, I'll be gone for two months. My team was selected to receive some special training. Our new sensei believes in Hahaoya Tsuchi; that seems like something you would believe in. I better get going; I don't want to be late."

She stopped by her room to grab her pack and placed the storage scroll that the cook ha given her in one of the compartments. As she walked out of the compound, she wasn't surprised that no one had come to see her off. Her father probably had some clan issues to deal with and her imouto and Neji-niisan were probably training.

During her walk from the compound to Team Eight's training ground, Hinata did her best to memorize everything that she passed. She would be gone for two months, and she wanted to remember everything that she passed. She had no idea how Naruto-san had managed to stay on a training trip for three years without setting foot in Konoha.

In the corner of her vision, she noticed an orange streak run by. She instinctively turned her head and saw Naruto-san jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

'_He's probably in a rush to meet up with Sakura-san,'_ she thought bitterly. She sped up in order to get to her team's training ground on time, even though she still had plenty of time to get there. Kurenai-sensei followed the saying, "To be there early is to on time. To be there at the scheduled time is late. To be there late is unacceptable." Shino and Hinata were always early while Kiba was always a few minutes late.

When she reached the training ground, she wasn't surprised to see that Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun were the only ones missing. Everyone else was just standing there. Yamato-sensei had his arms crossed and even though his emotions were masked, Hinata was sure that he was annoyed with Kiba-kun's tardiness.

Kurenai was thoroughly embarrassed; she didn't like looking bad in front of other Jounin, especially not one of Yamato's caliber. From what she had managed to gather, he spent most of his years in ANBU guarding the Hokage or going on only the most vital of missions. To put it simply, he was close to being Kakashi's replacement for ANBU.

Kurenai knew that Kiba had a problem with arriving on time, but she had thought that he would want to make a good impression with a new sensei that specialized in combat. As much as she hated to admit it, she had never been able to completely grab Kiba's attention. The boy had always been more focused on causing destruction and fighting rather than tracking. The only thing that could completely grab his attention was Hinata. He often stared at her whenever he thought that no one was looking.

"Sorry I'm late! I had to go find some more soldier pills; Akamaru and I used up all of mine on our last mission and I forgot to restock my supply," Kiba said with a sheepish grin as he ran into the clearing.

"I will not accept tardiness again," Yamato stated in a firm voice. "Not only does it waste valuable time, it is rather unbecoming of a shinobi."

Kiba frowned. Who did this guy think he was? He hadn't even been their sensei for a day and he was already lecturing him!

"Yeah, well Kakashi is always late and he's a Jounin!" argued Kiba.

"Kakashi-senpai is an accomplished shinobi. If you are implying that you are as skilled as he is, then show me by defeating me in a one-on-one fight," Yamato challenged.

Kiba backed down. He may not be the smartest member of Team Eight, but he knew better than to challenge a Jounin when he had no idea what he specialized in.

Before he left, he had asked his aneue, a member of the Oni-nin, if she knew of Yamato. She smiled and told him to listen to him because he was a highly skilled shinobi. Anyone who had earned his aneue's respect had to be skilled. After Kiba had time to analyze Yamato-sensei's skill, then he might take him up on that challenge.

"Yamato-sensei, where is your pack?" questioned Shino. Upon hearing him speak, Hinata looked for any signs of his pack. Everyone else had basic traveling packs, though Kurenai-sensei's was a bit smaller; she probably couldn't carry much due to her pregnancy.

"I don't need a pack. I have kunai holsters and shuriken pouches as you can see. Everything else I get from Hahaoya Tsuchi. Well the, let's get going." Yamato led the group towards the East Gate. Hinata took one last look at the village before she followed in his lead.

--

Naruto arrived at Team Seven's training grounds shortly after he left Ichiraku's ramen. He sighed as he walked around the familiar training ground. When he walked by the three training posts, he stopped and ran his hand over the center log. It was the same log that he had been tied to.

Coming back to this training ground brought back so many memories of times past. It was here that Sasuke, Sakura, and he had exhibited their first act of teamwork, which allowed them to be passed. They hadn't even been a team for a year before Sasuke left them.

Sasuke…did he really think that trading his freedom in exchange for enough power to kill his brother was worth it? What made him think that he would get stronger by going to Orochimaru instead of training here in Konoha?

As he thought of Sasuke, the question that had been eating away at him ever since he discovered the information of the invasion returned to haunt him. Would Sasuke take part in the invasion? Chances are he would be there leading some of Oto's forces as a lieutenant, along with Kabuto. Naruto had no problem with killing Kabuto; he was a traitor. Sasuke was different though.

Sasuke was a comrade in addition to being a traitor. After all that had happened between the two, he still thought of Sasuke as his best friend, and Naruto was sure that Sasuke thought the same of him. Otherwise, Sasuke wouldn't have tried to kill him in order to get the Mangekyo Sharingan.

If it came down to it, Naruto would fight Sasuke without a second's hesitation. But he wasn't sure if he would be able to kill him, even if it meant that the well-being of Konoha was on the line. How could he kill his best friend?

Kyuubi sighed. Naruto had been having nightmares about being forced to kill his "brother" for quite a while now. He had to realize that if it came down to it, he may be forced to stain his hands red with the blood of his former best friend. With another sigh, she forcefully pulled Naruto into his mindscape, placing him right in front of her cage.

"**Otouto…I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to! The one you know as Uchiha Sasuke no longer exists! He is an enemy, someone who is willing to harm everything and everyone you hold precious!"**

"Aneue…don't you think I know that?! But I can't kill him, he's my best friend! Hell, he's the closest thing I have to a brother!" Naruto cried out.

"**Was! He was your brother. The moment he shoved a Chidori in your chest he cut all the bonds that had existed between the two of you!"** Kyuubi immediately regretted taking such a harsh tone with her otouto. He had experienced so much hate in his life that it was only logical that he would fight tooth and nail to keep any bonds that he had made.

"What the hell do you want me to do?! You want me to say that if it comes down to it I'll use a Rasengan to tear a hole right through him? You want me to say that I'll use a toad to crush him? You want me to say that I'll use your chakra and burn him to nothing but a crisp? What the hell do you want me to say?" Naruto yelled while tears started to form in his eyes.

"**If it comes down to it, yes! I want you to be willing to kill anyone that threatens Konoha! You must understand this!"** Kyuubi shouted. By now, her face was up against the bars, in an attempt to get some of her logic through her otouto's thick skull.

"Why do you want me to do all of this? Am I just another pawn in your game to bring the Kitsune clan to glory Kyuubi?" Naruto responded scathingly.

Kyuubi was shocked into silence. She hadn't expected him to accuse her of manipulating him. His accusations hurt more than she cared to admit; however, it was when he called her 'Kyuubi' that she was hurt the most. Ever since they had become friends during their training trip, her otouto had always called her 'aneue'…the venom that he shouted her name with didn't help either. It felt like her heart had been shredded into hundreds of pieces. She couldn't blame him though; because of her, his life had been hell. Almost everything bad that had happened to him was because of her. The villagers hated him because of her and he had no parents because of her.

"**If you really feel that way…then I'll just let you do what you want. I'll leave you alone,"** she said as she retreated to the back of her cage, out of Naruto's sight.

Naruto looked up, surprised that his aneue was leaving him alone. However, he was more surprised with his words; he hadn't meant them, he was just angry and frustrated. He didn't want to hurt the only family member that was still with him.

"**Aneue! Aneue, come back! I didn't mean it! I'm so sorry!"**

Hearing him call her 'aneue' slightly lifted her spirits, but she didn't come up to the bars again. She didn't think she would be able to continue her lecture if she saw his tears and his emotion-filled eyes. It would break her heart if she had to.

With a slight chuckle, Kyuubi wondered when she had become so emotional. She assumed that it was because she had spent sixteen years with Naruto; spending sixteen years with him would change the heart of anyone, with the exception of nutcases like Orochimaru.

"**I wouldn't be able to leave you even if I wanted to otouto. The seal, remember?"**

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah…well, I still want to talk to you! I like having my aneue in my head!"

"**Don't worry; we will always be able to use a mindlink to talk. Even if I'm freed from the seal after you pass the trials, the mindlink will still be in tact. But for now, we have to talk about the Uchiha."**

A pained look passed through Naruto's eyes. "Why? Why do I have to kill him?"

"**Otouto…he's going to be attacking your village and your friends. Are you just going to let him do that without trying to stop him?"**

"No, of course not! But that doesn't mean I have to kill him! I'll just knock him out or something," Naruto stubbornly argued.

"**He's going to be surrounded by shinobi from other villages. I'm sure that Orochimaru will order multiple Jounin to guard him."**

"Then I'll just lead him to an isolate area where only the two of us can fight! Hell, I'll even create a seal to keep everyone else out! Then I'll just knock him out and get back to the fight."

Kyuubi shook the head, even though she was still in the back of her cage and Naruto couldn't see her. His faith in his friends and determination were amazing.

"**That won't work! You know as well as I do that the Uchiha has gotten very strong over the past three years. It'll take you at least half an hour to knock him out. By that time, how much destruction will be done to the village? How many will die just because you want to save your best friend?"**

Naruto laughed. "Aneue, I'm not that strong! I'm sure Konoha's forces will be able to hold out for a half an hour. Besides, Gaara and his forces will help us out; they already pledged their support!"

"**Gaara's skills will be severely hampered since he is out of his element. There is a distinct lack of sand here in the forest. Besides, have you forgotten that Akatsuki will be there too?"**

"Konoha has strong shinobi," Naruto said stubbornly. "They can hold them off for half an hour. Besides, _I_ can't even fight them off."

"**Not yet you can't. But we have nine months or so until the invasion. If I train you the entire time, then you will be able to fight on an even foot with all but the strongest members of Akatsuki," **Kyuubi said, ignoring the stunned look on Naruto's face.

"**In addition to that, you constantly underestimate your skill! You could probably be a Jounin if you were to be ranked. Why do you think that the Hokage was so unwilling to let you leave? She knows just as well as the Gama-sannin that you will play a vital role in the invasion! You're one of the few shinobi that are capable of killing the Uchiha!"**

"But…I don't can't kill Sasuke!"

"**Can't or won't?"** questioned Kyuubi.

"Both!"

"**What if he was killing all of your precious people? What if he used a Katon jutsu on a crowd of civilians being evacuated and as a result, burned Teuchi and Ayame? What if he used his sword and sliced off Jiraiya's head as he was fighting Orochimaru? What if he summoned Manda and had him eat Tsunade while she was busy healing the wounded? What if he fooled Sakura into lowering her guard and snapped her neck?"** Kyuubi stated in a low voice. She could see that Naruto still wasn't convinced that he had to kill Sasuke, so Kyuubi offered one last possibility.

"**What if he shoved his Chidori right through Hinata's chest? And instead of letting her die quickly, he handed her over to their Kumo allies, allowing them to rape her in order to get the Byakugan that they so jealously desire?" **she said in a low voice. She knew that was a low blow, but if that was what it took for him to realize that he would probably have to kill his brother, then she would tell him that a thousand times over.

Naruto froze. He knew that if Kumo ever got their hands on a Hyuuga female that they would rape her in order to get children with the Hyuuga's bloodline. When he heard that Kumo was allied with Oto, he had slice his hand with a kunai and made a promise…just like he did on that mission to Wave so many years ago.

Instead of promising to stand his ground, he promised that he would do whatever it took to keep Hinata-chan safe. If it meant killing countless Kumo shinobi…hell, even the Raikage, he would do it.

"**I see that you're remembering your promise. Would you break that in order to keep your brother alive?"**

"But what about my promise of a lifetime to Sakura-neechan?"

Kyuubi sighed. That was the problem with making so many promises and never vowing to never break them; it was inevitable that some of them would conflict with one another.

"**Your promise was to bring him back to this village, correct?"** Upon seeing him nod, she continued, **"You never said if he would be alive or not."**

Naruto was outraged. "Are you saying that I get out of this by finding a loophole? That's a terrible loophole! Sakura-neechan's heart will be broken!"

"**And Hinata could be raped a thousand times over!"** Kyuubi said sharply before sighing. This was getting nowhere. Taking a softer tone, she continued, **"Look, I'm not saying that this will happen. It's just a strong possibility that it will happen. I wouldn't be surprised if Orochimaru has given orders to his shinobi to specifically target those close to you. After what happened when you went into a four-tail state, I'm sure that he considers you his biggest threat from Konoha."**

"How do you know that's what he'll do?"

"**Because he's a coward, and cowards will never attack their opponent straight on. Besides, I observed him during the war…before I made him my summoner."**

Naruto looked a bit sheepish. "Oh, I forgot about that."

"**Otouto…I know this is hard to take, but you have to be prepared for the possibility that you will have to kill Sasuke. I'm not saying that it **_**will**_** happen though."**

"But you're saying that there's a good chance of it."

"**Hai."**

"I guess…if I have to kill him to save Hinata and the others…I guess I will kill Uchiha Sasuke...I will kill my own brother. But I'm not going to like it."

"**You shouldn't,"** Kyuubi said gently.

Naruto sat down, brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head on his knees. "Why did Sasuke leave?" he asked. Tears started to drip down his nose.

Kyuubi sighed. She didn't know how Naruto managed to keep all of his emotions and still be a shinobi, especially after his troubling past. If anyone else had been in his place, they would have cracked. _'Yondaime…you chose well, you chose so very well,'_ she thought to herself.

She walked to the front of her cage and stuck her snout through the gap as far as she could. When she could go no further, she licked Naruto's face.

Naruto looked up in surprise. "A…aneue?"

"**Shhh, don't cry anymore otouto. It'll be alright."**

"Why…why does it have to be this way?"

"**Life's not fair, you know that. But it seems as though you always get the shortest straw of the draw. The only thing that you can do is live your life to the fullest."**

Naruto stood up and wiped away his tears. "Arigato…I needed that Kyuubi. Both the lecture and the lick."

"**Don't worry about it. You should go find an iryo-nin that you trust; we need one to heal you while you take the trials. Then we should leave for Wave as soon as possible. It wouldn't do to be late for the trails."**

Naruto nodded and walked away as Kyuubi said, **"Otouto, I'll always be there for you. Don't you ever forget that."**

Naruto looked over his shoulder and smiled before he left his mindscape. He was so lucky to have such a caring aneue.

--

Naruto ran out of his team's old training ground and headed for the Hokage Tower. He wanted to find Hinata-chan and ask her to accompany him to Wave. She had to be an excellent iryo-nin; after all, she had spent the past three years as one of Baachan's apprentices.

The only problem with his plan was that he had no clue where she would be at this time. If it was early in the morning or late at night she would be at the Hyuuga compound. If she was any other girl, then Naruto would have headed right for the shopping district. But Hinata-chan wasn't like other girls in the sense that she wasn't as…girly as they were. Back at the Academy, he had seen her training instead of shopping or getting her nails done like the other aspiring kunoichi did.

He headed towards the Hokage Tower because if he was Hinata-chan, he would be spending every free moment to train with Baachan. And Baachan was usually in her office, so where better to find Hinata-chan? Besides, if she wasn't there, he could always ask Baachan where she was; after all, a sensei should always know where the student is. Even Ero-sennin understood that concept!

As he was running towards the Hokage Tower, he saw Neji walking out of a supply store. Neji was Hinata's guardian, so he had to know where she was, right?

"Oi, Neji! I need to talk to for a second," Naruto called out and ran towards him.

"Naruto-san, what do you need?" Neji asked, coming to a halt.

"Eh, I need to know where Hinata-chan is! I mean, you're her protector so you know where she is, right?"

Neji frowned. _'I haven't heard Naruto-san refer to Hinata-sama using the –chan suffix before. Something is up…'_ "Why do you want to know?"

Naruto scratched his head. He didn't feel like telling Neji why he had to talk to her. "Just because! Why don't you tell me where she is?"

"Not until you tell me why you need to talk to her." Neji managed to suppress a smirk; it was so fun teasing Naruto.

"I bet you won't tell me because you don't know where she is in the first place! I guess I better go ask Hiashi where she is then!" he said as he turned around and headed towards the Hyuuga compound.

Neji sighed. If he let Naruto continue, then he would surely suffer for being rude.

"She's on a two month training mission."

'_Hmm…so her team was first to go. Who should I ask next?'_

"Oh. Thanks anyways Neji. See you around!"

'_**So, who will you get to go with you?' **_Kyuubi questioned.

'_I'll probably go ask Sakura-neechan; she's probably at her house now.'_

Naruto turned around and ran across the training fields. Cutting across the training fields would get him to Sakura's house quicker than following the street.

"Hey! Down here!"

Naruto suddenly stopped his run across the field and looked down towards the voice. "Gamachibi? What are you doing here?"

The small bright blue toad was jumping up and down in his excitement that he had found his niisan.

"Pops wanted me to tell you that they're ready for you."

Naruto was stunned. "The Summon Council has been assembled already? But your dad told me that he needed a few days to assemble everyone!"

Gamachibi shrugged. "Well, I'm just relaying the word. Pops said that they're ready sooner because they found the old bat faster than they thought they would."

"Bat? I didn't know there was a bat summon," mused Naruto.

Gamachibi shrugged his shoulders. "There's a bunch of summon families out there that most people don't know about. Summon families only become famous if their summoner is really strong like the Sannin from your village. The rest of the summon families aren't put in the spotlight because they don't have a really strong summoner. That's why so many Bosses search for the strongest summoner that they can find."

Naruto thought about what the tiny toad had said. It made sense to him; after all, hadn't Kyuubi tried to do the exact same thing.

"Enough talking Niisan! You need to get going now, or you'll be late! And Pops said that you better not make them wait to long because if you do then he won't be able to protect you from the wraith of the other Summon Council members!"

Naruto was stunned. "What? You mean I have to leave now? But I'm not ready yet! I still need to find an iryo-nin!"

Gamachibi hopped up and down in agitation. "Niisan!" he whined. "You gotta go! Pops said that as soon as I tell you the message that you have to leave or you won't get there in time. And if you're not there on time, then the Council members will leave!"

"Kuso! What the hell am I supposed to do?"

'_**Otouto, you don't have to have an iryo-nin with you. Just make sure that Tazuna has some medical supplies at his house. You won't die, I'm sure of it. Even if all the bones in your body are broken, I'll just heal them as soon as the Trials are over. Having an iryo-nin is just for normal shinobi who don't have a Bijuu to heal their body. I mean, you wouldn't want to complete your trials and return to your physical body with a broken neck.'**_

'_You sure?'_

'_**Hai. Just send a Kage Bunshin to Tazuna's house and ask them to prepare bandages for you.'**_

'_Well…I guess if you're sure, I can go now.'_

"Okay Gamachibi, I'll leave now."

Gamachibi sighed in relief. "That's great! Now Pops won't yell at me for not convincing you to leave on time."

Naruto started running towards the gate. "Oi, Gamachibi! The next time I see you, I'll let you have four pieces of candy!"

The diminutive toad started to drool at the prospect of getting four pieces of candy. "Mhmmm…that means two chocolates, a mint, and something else…everybody else is going to be so jealous!" With a poof of smoke, the toad returned to the Spirit Realm.

--

"So you'll need basic medical supplies?" Tsunami asked.

"Hai. I'll need some bandages; do you have any?" a Naruto Kage Bunshin asked.

Tsunami smiled. "Of course we do. I'll even go buy some more if you need it."

The Kage Bunshin returned Tsunami's smile. "Arigato. Well, I'll probably see you in a day or so, I'm not sure when I'll be done."

"Be careful, okay?"

"Will do," the Kage Bunshin said before it dispersed itself.

The real Naruto smiled as he received the knowledge of Tsunami's words. It pleased him that he had someone as caring as Tsunami here to help him afterwards. He was about five minutes away from reaching the cave where he had placed the seal.

--

Yamato was leading the members of Team Eight through the tree tops. They had been traveling for close to an hour now.

"This will be our first training location," he said as he jumped down to the ground.

Kiba let out a grunt as he dropped his pack to the ground. "Man, I'm wiped. I'm ready to hit the sack right now. How about you guys?"

Before the others could respond, Yamato spoke up. "You won't be sleeping yet. Before you can get some rest, you have to pass a simple test first."

Kiba groaned. "Aw sensei, do we have to do it now? I'll do better if I'm well rested," he whined.

Yamato gave the Inuzuka a hard stare. "On the battlefield, will your enemy let you go rest if you're tired?"

"Kiba-san, Yamato-sensei does have a point. His logic is irrefutable," Shino stated as he lifted his sunglasses further up on his nose. His teammates knew that whenever Shino adjusted his sunglasses that he was simply getting ready to fight.

"You may put your packs on the ground before we start so you will not be hindered by them." When the three Chuunin put their packs on the ground, Yamato took out three bells and tied it around his waist.

"Your mission objective is to take these bells from me. Each one of you must get one bell by yourself before you can rest. By that I mean that your teammate can not give you a bell; you must get it yourself."

"A-ano…w-what if we do n-not get them a-a-at the same time?"

"Whoever gets a bell will be allowed to eat and rest, but no one can sleep until everybody has a bell. Also, once someone gets a bell they are out of the fight; they can not come back and help the remaining teammates get the bell."

"Ha, this'll be easy right Akamaru?" Upon hearing his partner bark, Kiba crouched down, prepared to launch an attack as soon as Yamato-sensei said go.

Kurenai grabbed her charges' packs and leaped up to a high tree branch. She smiled as she sat on the branch; it would be interesting to see how well her subordinates would do in Yamato-san's test.

"You may come at me whenever you are ready," Yamato stated as he stood still.

Not a second had passed after he had spoken before Kiba came charging at him. Just before he was about to knock him down, Yamato shifted to his right, causing Kiba to miss his target. Kiba grinned as he hit the ground; his plan was about to come into action.

Yamato heard something coming towards him, so he instinctively ducked. Above his head flew Akamaru. Yamato turned to face Kiba before he spoke. "Your plan would work…on an unprepared opponent. Anyone who was paying attention would have noticed Akamaru. You'll find that Academy-level plans won't work on me."

Kiba bristled with anger. How dare he! Academy-level plans! He used that on a handful of missions and took down the enemy! With a low growl, Kiba dropped to all fours and charged again.

Yamato mentally sighed. It would seem that the weakest link of Kurenai-san's team wasn't the silent Aburame or the shy Hyuuga heiress, but the loud Inuzuka. However, he would hold his judgment until he saw the other two in action. As the Inuzuka came towards him, he simultaneously dodged to his left, threw a sharp punch with his right hand, and threw several shuriken behind him with his left hand. His punch landed right on Kiba's head and his dodge caused Kiba to land on the ground behind Yamato while Akamaru was forced to dodge the shuriken. Unfortunately, Akamaru didn't see the root that had inconspicuously risen up to trip him. Like his master, Akamaru ended up on the ground.

Shino glanced at Hinata and she nodded to his unspoken question. Immediately, the two charged at Yamato. While Kiba may be an idiot and got their team into trouble due to his arrogance, they weren't about to leave a teammate and fellow Konoha shinobi behind, whether it was a mission or a simple training exercise.

Yamato let a small smile as he was forced to dodge the combined attacks of the Aburame and the Hyuuga. These two were much better than the Inuzuka. They worked in harmony with one another, while the Inuzuka seemed to prefer to work with his ninken rather than both his ninken and his teammates. How he managed to pass Kurenai-san's test to become a Genin was beyond him; if this Inuzuka had taken Kakashi-senpai's test, then he would have been sent back to the Academy.

Kurenai frowned from her perch up in the tree. She couldn't count how many times she had told Kiba not to rush into things and to work with his teammates instead of relaying on Akamaru. The fact that his performance was probably causing Yamato to question her teaching methods didn't bother her as much as the fact that Kiba was giving his team a bad reputation.

Yamato was forced to jump back in order to avoid one of Hinata's strikes. He let a small smile grace his face as he landed; these two worked well as a team. Shino was forcing Yamato to keep an eye out for his bugs that were more than willing to drain his chakra while Hinata charged with the famous Hyuuga taijutsu style, the Juuken, while his attention was diverted to dodging Shino's bugs.

He spared a glance towards the downed Inuzuka and his ninken; neither had attempted to attack him again. The two were huddled next to one another, they were probably concocting a plan. Their actions wiped the smile of off his face. He knew that an Inzuka and their ninken had to "talk" to one another in order to create plans, but Kiba should've included his other teammates in their planning.

When his attention returned to the two attacking him barely a second after he shifted his gaze, he saw the two charging at him. It was then that he noticed a flaw in their formation. The two were running at him with a large gap in between them; it was enough room for him to charge forward and take them both out with two kicks.

'_No, it's no flaw at all,'_ he mentally corrected himself as he let a smile grace his face yet again. They had purposefully left the opening there. Not as a trap, but as an opening for Kiba and his ninken to join in on their attack. If Yamato was able to figure out their intention, then he was sure that Kiba was aware of the opening. After all, the two wouldn't have got in this formation if they hadn't practiced it before. Since Kiba had no intention of joining his teammates on their attack, then he was going to take advantage of the opening.

Yamato lunged forward and just before he reached Kiba's spot, he shot both of his legs out. After his feet impacted with them, he shot his hands out in order to bring himself up into a handstand before he landed on his feet. The two Chuunin were launched backwards as Yamato's kicks hit them right in the stomach. They both fell unceremoniously on the ground, under a tree.

Kiba had decided that he had gathered enough information on their new sensei; he was a taijutsu specialist. He obviously didn't have any skill with jutsus, otherwise he would have used one on them. Besides his kunai holder and shuriken pouch, he had no other weapons with him, so he didn't specialize in weaponry. He had to go tell the others of his observations; well, mainly Hinata-chan. He had figured that if he helped her out and managed to impress her, then she would go on more dates with him. His thoughts reminded him of Hinata-chan's agreement to go on another date with him. _ 'Kuso! We can't go on a date out here! So that means…no date for two months!! At least it'll just be us, no dobe here to interrupt us…'_

While the Inuzuka was thinking of his personal life, Hinata and Shino had circled around Yamato in order rendezvous with Kiba and Akamaru without engaging Yamato in another fight.

"K-kiba-kun, a-are you alright?"

"I'm fine! It'll take more than that to keep me down! Besides, that blow barely even hurt!" boasted Kiba.

"Then why did you not join us in our assault on Yamato-sensei? I know that you know the formation; we have practiced it many times," an irritated Shino stated.

"Well, while you two were busy charging in like idiots, I was observing his skills."

"R-really? K-kiba-kun?" questioned Hinata. She was amazed; normally, he left the observations to Shino-kun or her. Was he finally starting to grow up and realize that being a shinobi wasn't just about fighting?

"Yup. I figured out that Yamato-sensei is a taijutsu specialist!"

"And what makes you think that?"

"Well, all he's done so far is fight us with taijutsu."

Hinata sighed. Kiba may have done the observing for once, but he still had to work on realizing what he was seeing.

Shino pushed up his sunglasses as his bugs started to buzz angrily. He was extremely frustrated; had this been a real fight, Yamato would have killed Hinata and him while Kiba gathered useless information. It was a wonder that Kiba wasn't the dobe of their class.

"In order to succeed, I think that we need to attack him from three directions at once, in order to divert as much of his attention as we can away from the bells," Shino stated.

"S-should w-w-we try to g-g-get them at the s-s-same time?"

"No. If we waited until an opportunity arose for all three of us to get a bell at the same time, we would be here for many hours. Hinata-san, you should get one first, then Kiba-san, and I will get one lastly."

Kiba snorted. "Why should Hinata-chan get one first? Do you really think she's so weak that she can't fight? 'Cause if you are, then your sexism isn't helping our teamwork one bit!"

Hinata looked down at the ground with a red face. Did Shino-kun really think that she wasn't strong enough to help them fight Yamato-sensei? And who was Kiba-kun to talk about teamwork?

"It is merely logic that I am using. I did not mean to offend you Hinata-san," upon hearing a muted reply from Hinata, he continued. "The last two to get a bell will have to use more chakra in order to continue fighting. I think that it is only logical that the person with the smallest chakra reserves should get the bell first."

"In this case, that is you Hinata-san. Not because you don't train, but because you are female, your chakra reserves are naturally smaller than a male's chakra reserves," Shino finished.

Hinata lifted her head. "I g-guess that i-it m-makes s-s-sense."

Kiba just stared at Shino. To be honest, he quit paying attention to Shino after he mentioned 'logic'. He knew from experience that if Shino mentioned the word 'logic', then there was a very good chance that he was right.

When he realized that his two teammates were staring at him and waiting for his answers, he snapped back to focus. He slowly nodded, in an attempt to fool his teammates into thinking that he was thinking the whole time, not zoning out.

"Eh, I guess that makes sense. But I get the last bell; I have soldier pills with me to replenish my chakra reserves and you don't!"

Shino thought about it for a moment. "You're logic can not be denied. Are you sure that you will be able to handle Yamato-sensei on a one-on-one fight?"

Kiba waved his hand around. "Bah, he won't be that tough. Besides, I'm not alone! I got Akamaru with me!"

Shino sighed. "You should not underestimate Yamato-sensei. He was not in ANBU for nothing."

"But he's not in it anymore is he? Besides, you heard Kurenai-sensei; we're going to be tested to become Jounin at the end of our training period!"

"K-kiba-kun, two m-m-months of t-t-training can d-d-drastically c-c-change our skill l-level," Hinata stated.

"Hinata-san is correct. Two months can make a huge difference."

"Bah, don't worry about it! I'll be fine."

"Just remember what we have told you about underestimating Yamato-sensei," Shino warned.

"Hai, hai. Now, let's go!"

--

'_Hmm…I wonder if I'll have to resort to using Mokuton. From the way things have been going, I highly doubt that I'll have to. If Kiba-san had joined in on the attack, then I would probably have to resort to using it.'_

Suddenly, Yamato ducked in order to avoid a trio of kunai that were launched straight at his head. When he stood back up, he saw Hinata and Shino charging at him. He settled into a taijutsu stance, prepared to defend himself from the two when he heard a growl come from behind him. He shifted his gaze to allow him to see where the growl had originated from and saw both Kiba and Akamaru coming straight at him.

'_It would seem that Kiba-san has finally realized that in order to defeat me, he must work with his other teammates. This is about to get a bit trickier.'_

Yamato found that he was having much more trouble defending himself now that the three Chuunin were all attacking him at once. Just before Kiba and Akamaru were about to hit him with a Gatsuuga, he used Kawarmi.

"You nearly had me there. Impressive work you three. However, none of you managed to get a bell yet."

The three Chuunin took a moment to catch their breaths. Even though he was outnumbered, Yamato-sensei was still able to protect the bells. His skill was amazing, even for an ex-ANBU member. After a few seconds, the members of Team Eight had recovered enough and renewed their attack.

Kiba was starting to regain what his confidence. _'Hah! I knew that this guy wasn't anything special! The four of us are already pushing him back!'_

And indeed they were. Yamato was being forced to defend himself more often now. It wasn't very often that he had the chance to launch a kick or punch. He was being forced back towards the denser part of the forest.

Kurenai frowned. She knew that Yamato-san was much stronger than he was letting her subordinates know. He was barely showing Jounin level skills, let alone ANBU level skills. Only when she saw where he was being forced back to did she realize that Yamato was being weak on purpose.

'_It's up to me to do my part now!' _thought Hinata as her teammates charged Yamato-sensei. When Yamato-sensei turned his back on her, in order to block Shino-kun's, Kiba-kun's and Akamaru-kun's attacks, she reached forward to grab a bell.

Hinata blinked. _'W…what happened?'_ Similar thoughts were running through the heads of her other teammates, though Kiba's had a more vulgar side to them. They were all confused; just a second ago, they had been close enough to touch Yamato-sensei, and now they were several feet away from him.

As she brought her head up to look at Yamato-sensei, she gasped and froze.

Shino's eyebrows rose with surprise. 'This…this is an unexpected development. Our plan will have to change.'

"The hell was that? How the hell can you move so fast that we can't even see you?!" questioned an angry Kiba. His question had everyone else on the field question his eyesight.

"I didn't move from my position at all."

"Then what the hell just happened?!"

"K-kiba-kun…look at the ground a-a-around Yamato-sensei," Hinata answered.

He stared at the ground around their new sensei. 'Huh, how the hell did that happen? He must've used his chakra to act like a magnet.'

"So you used your chakra to pull up some roots to push us back? Not very impressive Yamato-sensei."

Yamato just put a hand over his face. How Kiba-san graduated from the Academy eluded him. He made a mental note to talk to the Hokage regarding what was being taught at the Academy. Teamwork and observational skills had to be worked on based on his judgments of this team.

Shino just stared at Kiba. To be honest, the Aburame was getting annoyed with his other male teammate. Kiba rarely ever thought before talking, something that would likely get someone killed sooner or later.

Hinata decided to enlighten her teammate since no one else seemed to be willing to do so. "K-kiba-kun…Yamato-sensei did not use his chakra to pull up the roots; he used his chakra to grow them. It would appear that he has a famous bloodline among Konoha's population."

"Indeed. However, I am most curious as to how you were able to do that. The last person from Konoha to do that was the Shodaime Hokage," questioned Shino. Was it possible that Yamato was related to one of the founding clans of Konoha?

"Isn't it obvious? It's my bloodline limit."

"Bloodline? I've never heard of a bloodline that let a shinobi grow roots."

Yamato sighed. It would seem that in addition to forgetting about teamwork, Kiba-san also forgot of the most basic topics that even a first-year Academy student could answer.

Seeing as the other two shinobi were too frustrated with Kiba's ignorance to answer his question, it was up to Hinata to once again enlighten her teammate.

"Kiba-kun, it's not a root that k-knocked us b-b-back. It was a b-b-branch that Yamato-sensei willed t-to g-grow from the g-g-ground. And the b-bloodline limit is called Mokuton. Don't you r-r-remember learning a-about it back i-in the Academy?"

Kiba frowned in thought. _'Mokuton…sounds familiar…Of course! Now I remember!'_

"Oh! I forgot all about that," Kiba said with a sheepish grin. "Mokuton is what made the Yondaime Hokage famous before he was made even more famous for defeating the Kyuubi!"

Kureani almost fell out of her position in the tree above them; when the fight had moved, she had followed them from the top of the trees. She didn't think that she had ever been so embarrassed in her life before. After three years of teaching Kiba-kun, she knew that he wasn't the brightest shinobi around; his Academy written test scores were barely higher than Uzumaki Naruto's and Nara Shikamaru's.

However, she thought that she had fixed his academic problem during their early days as Team Eight. It wasn't all his fault though; she should have quizzed him on Konoha's history. If she had, then maybe he would have known that the Shodaime Hokage was known for his use of Mokuton.

"Ano…Kiba-kun, the Yondaime Hokage w-w-was k-known for h-his unique ninjutsu, t-t-the Hirashin no jutsu. T-the Shodaime Hokage w-w-was known for his b-bloodline limit, Mokuton, w-which g-gave him c-c-control over p-plants," clarified Hinata.

"Oh. Well, that information doesn't really matter. After all, who cares about what the dead were able to do? Knowing what the living are able to do is much more important," Kiba said as he nodded, agreeing with himself.

Suddenly, Kiba found himself entangled in a mass of thick branches. He raised his hand to cut through it, but when he hit one branch, he felt a sharp sting. Pulling his hand back quickly, he noticed that his hand was bleeding. _'The hell?'_

Upon further inspection, Kiba noticed that there were thorns on the branches. When he had attempted to break through them, he had unintentionally hit several of the thorns.

Hinata, Shino, and Akamaru rushed forward in an attempt to help free their trapped teammate. They were forced to abandon their attempts as more branches emerged from the ground and tried to capture them.

Akamaru ran forward, dodging multiple branches until he was a few feet away from his struggling master. He crouched down before he leapt in the air.

Kiba smiled as he saw Akamaru jump. _'Heh, clever dog! He knew that if he was able to jump over the branches' range then he would be able to get to me without getting hit or trapped!'_

Akamaru felt the wind blowing his hair back as he traveled through the air. After a few seconds, he noticed that his hair wasn't blowing back anymore; however, he hadn't touched the ground yet. He was still a good two feet away from his master. Why had the air stopped blowing?

He found his answer as he looked to the side. From the tree closest to him, several of the branches had extended themselves in order to wrap around him. Akamaru did the only thing he could-he let out a howl.

"Kuso!"

"What's wrong? From what I have heard, the Inuzuka clan claims to be one of the best clans in Konoha. So far, I'm not impressed Kiba-san," Yamato baited.

"We are! It's just that…you cheated!"

"Cheated?" questioned Yamato as he raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me, how did I cheat?"

"You never told us that you had a bloodline limit! That's cheating! If we had known that you were able to use Mokuton, then our plans would have been completely different!"

"Tough luck. Are your enemies going to give you a list of their strengths and weaknesses? Are they going to give you a list of their jutsus? You have been a shinobi for three years now, haven't you learned that your enemies will not cater to your every desire?" Yamato lectured.

"Yamato-sensei is right," Shino stated.

"Whatever! Just get me and Akamaru free!"

Shino started to run through the gauntlet of branches in order to reach his trapped teammate. As he neared Kiba, he lifted his arms so that they were parallel to the ground and thousands of bugs flew out. Shino's bugs started to eat through the branches; the bugs were too small for the spikes to harm.

Yamato looked on in interest as he wondered where Hinata was. If their planning was anything like what he had seen, then it meant that he would be attacked from behind. He added a minute amount of chakra to his ears, in order to slightly enhance his hearing. It was a simple trick that he had learned during his time in ANBU; add too much chakra and your eardrums would burst due to having every sound enhanced. Add too little chakra and nothing happens. The trick could be applied to all five senses; however, it would not give one senses that were as good as an Inuzuka.

As he continued to block their attacks, he noticed that he didn't hear anything coming at him from behind. He lunged forward and punched the two Chuunin in the chest and kicked the ninken away from him. With the precious few seconds that he bought with his move, he looked behind him.

To his surprise, he saw the Hyuuga heiress standing on a tree branch. Dangling from her hand was one of his bells. Instinctively, his hand reached down to check on his bells; he wasn't surprised when he only felt two bells.

"Impressive. You must have grabbed a bell just at first, did you not?" questioned Yamato. Even though he was talking to Hinata, he kept his eye on his three other opponents.

"H-hai. I g-grabbed one w-while you were l-l-lecturing Kiba-kun," Hinata shyly answered.

Yamato nodded. "You did very well Hinata-san. You may eat and rest, but remember, you may not sleep!"

Hinata frowned before she nodded. She didn't feel that she should be allowed to eat and rest if her teammates weren't allowed to. After all, if it had not been for her teammates, then she wouldn't have been able to get a bell. She decided that she would rest (she didn't really have a choice), but not eat until the rest of her teammates had gotten a bell. It was only fair that way.

Meanwhile, Shino's bugs had finally managed to tear through the branches around Kiba. Kiba fell down to the ground on all fours.

With a grunt, he managed to pull himself up off of the ground. He jumped up to a nearby tree branch and started to jump from branch to branch in order to get to Akamaru. He was forced to jump and twist from sided to side in order to avoid the branches that were aiming for him.

Finally, he reached Akamaru and managed to cut him free. Luckily, the branches holding Akamaru didn't have nay spikes on them. The two jumped to the ground and continued their attack on the ex-ANBU member, who was currently preoccupied with Shino.

Unfortunately, Yamato wasn't as preoccupied as Kiba had thought. Yamato brought his elbow back, straight into Kiba's face.

'_I guess that my first assumption was correct. Of the three shinobi under Kurenai-san's command, it would seem that Kiba-san is the weakest link despite the fact that he is the strongest one in terms of physical strength.'_

Shino circled around Yamato and reached Kiba's side. "With the emergence of Yamato-sensei's new abilities, it would seem that our plan needs to be changed."

"Geez, you think?"

Shino ignored his teammate's sarcasm. "Even if he didn't have the ability to use Mokuton, gathering the bells from him would have still been a challenger for only three of us."

"Hmph. He's not that strong! We just need to wear him down."

"And how, will you we outlast Yamato-sensei? Need I remind you that he is a Jounin, meaning that his chakra reserves are much larger than ours?"

"Need I remind you that I have plenty of soldier pills?" Kiba said mockingly.

"You know as well as I do that I can not take soldier pills," Shino reminded Kiba.

"Oh. I forgot about that."

It wasn't because Shino didn't want to take soldier pills that he refused. He realized how useful it was to be able to restore your chakra reserves and increase them by simply devouring a pill. However, if he took a soldier pill, or anything else that would increase his chakra reserves by a large amount, then all of his bugs would die. They had been with him since he was born; thus, they had time to adapt to his growing chakra levels as he grew older.

There was a limit to how much each bug to consume. However, in order to live, his bugs had to consume some of their host's chakra. Too much and the bugs would die along with the Aburame, who would die from total chakra exhaustion. Too little and the bugs would be unable to function properly. Thus, an Aburame's bugs took a certain percentage of chakra from their host. If the level increased dramatically, then so would the amount that the bugs consumed.

"Well then, here's what we'll do. Akamaru and I will distract Yamato-sensei while you grab a bell!"

Shino raised an eyebrow. He knew that he was the stronger of the two. He was positive that Kiba-san knew that as well, even if he chose not to admit it. Shino presumed that it was because he was constantly trying to impress Hinata-san. He just wished that his teammate would leave his personal life out of his job, especially since it was interfering with their teamwork.

"I do not think that is the correct decision to make. Logic dictates that I should be the one to retrieve a bell last."

Kiba rolled his eyes; he was getting tired of hearing about logic. "When will you realize that logic doesn't always have a place on the battlefield? When the Yondaime engaged the Kyuubi in battle, was it a logical decision?"

Shino was stunned. Not only did Kiba-san surprise him with his knowledge, but he had a point that Shino could not counter. The Yondaime's last battle was completely illogical; true, many would see it as being as his duty because he was the Hokage, but that didn't make it logical.

"Very well. Your point has been made. If you truly think it would be best, then I will go for the next bell," Shino relented.

Their plan confirmed, the two Chuunin renewed their attack. Kiba and Akamaru both went for the direct attack, utilizing their Gatsuuga and their brute strength. Shino went in for the occasional punch, but for the most part he stayed out of reach. From his location, he would throw kunai and shuriken in an attempt to divert as much of Yamato-sensei's attention away from Kiba and Akamaru. He also gave his bugs orders to drain Yamato-sensei's chakra whenever they could.

Hinata had moved to the branch where her original sensei was in order to keep her company. The two kunoichi watched the spar with interest; neither one knew how the two shinobi would manage to get a bell.

"Hinata-chan, do you now see how much of a difference it makes when one person from a team is missing?"

"H-hai. B-but I don't think t-that I would make that m-m-much of a difference, e-e-even if I was d-d-down there," answered Hinata.

Kurenai sighed. It seemed that no matter what she did, her female student would always find something negative to say about herself. For the past three years, she had worked to build her confidence, and it had seemed to work. Then, just recently, it seemed to all disappear. It probably had something to do with Naruto-san, but until she could ask him all she had was speculation.

"Hinata-chan, who was the first one to get a bell?" Kurenai questioned.

"I was. B-but t-that w-w-was only b-because Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, and Akamaru-kun helped me! If they hadn't h-h-helped me g-g-get a bell, t-then I would still b-b-be down t-t-there!"

"So they grabbed the bell for you?"

"N-no," Hinata answered.

"Then you have much to be proud of. Yamato-san rarely offers praise; in fact I heard that he rarely praised the members of Team Seven for several months. The fact that you surprised him when you grabbed a bell impressed him. That was why he praised you."

Hinata didn't say anything, but she still didn't look like she was completely convinced about everything that she had just been told.

"Let us pay close attention to the spar Hinata-chan. It has been too long since either one of them has tried to get a bell; I am sure that something will happen soon," Kurenai confidently stated.

--

Kiba was not happy. Both he and Akamaru were unable to land a blow on Yamato-sensei.

Shino was frustrated. While he knew that he was not as smart as Shikamaru-san, he had always thought that he was above average when it came to making plans. However, none of his plans were working! Whenever they tried to implement one of his plans, Yamato-sensei would counter it with a new ninjutsu or some clever taijutsu move.

Suddenly, Shino charged forward. Yamato stepped to one side and extended his right leg. Just as Shino reached Yamato, he was tripped by his foot. When he touched the ground, he exploded.

Yamato wiped his face. When he looked at his hand, he saw dozens of bugs. Upon further inspection of the ground, he noticed that there were bugs all over the ground as well.

'_Clever. Very clever. It would seem that Shino-san used a bug clone to distract me,'_ Yamato thought.

Behind Kiba, Yamato could see Shino. He gave a slight nod to Kiba before he jumped up to the tree branch where Hinata and Kurenai where.

Yamato checked the bells that he had attached to his waist. _'Hmm…only one left. Shino-san must have ordered some of his bugs to sever the string holding the bell to my waist and some other to grab the bell and return it to him when his bug clone collapsed.'_

"It would seem that you are the last one Kiba-san."

"Heh, I'll still be able to get a bell from you!" declared Kiba before he reached into his pouch and pulled out a soldier pill. As soon as he swallowed the pill, he felt his chakra reserves refill themselves and slightly increase.

He threw one over towards Akamaru's open mouth; after chewing the pill, his fur turned red. Once again, the two charged towards the ex-ANBU…once again.

--

Half-an hour later, the two were still fighting Yamato in order to get a bell.

"It would seem that Kiba-san is having more trouble than he had originally thought," Shino said.

"Well, it is to be expected. Yamato is an accomplished Jounin; when he was still in ANBU, he was one of their top members. The fact that he was able to defend his bells against the combined force of you three while he was holding back just goes to prove that fact," their sensei stated.

"D-do y-you think t-that Kiba-kun w-will be able to g-get a b-bell?" questioned an anxious Hinata.

"Eventually. Now that I can make my observations without having to move around, whether for defensive or offensive reasons, I was able to come to the conclusion that Yamato-sensei wants us to pass this test of his."

"Yamato-sensei is constantly leaving openings in his stance. In fact, I believe that he has been doing that since the beginning. I assume he did this because his skills are far above ours," Shino explained.

Kurenai noticed that Shino's explanation had increased Hinata's doubt in herself. Upon further inspection, she saw that Shino's hands were clenched in a fist; he was probably upset that Yamato-san had been holding back and still beat them.

"Yes, his skills are far above yours. That is the difference between the skill level of a Chuunin and a Jounin. Don't worry-by the end of this training trip, all three of you will be much stronger. I promise."

Kiba and Akamaru were both breathing heavily. Sweat poured down Kiba's face and dripped down to the ground.

'This…this isn't going to work. If I take another soldier pill, I'll pass out from an overdose. Guess I have to finish this with one final attack!'

Kiba charged for a frontal assault while Akamaru charged the Mokuton user from the side.

'_Are they truly that foolish? Why does he continue to attack me from the front? It hasn't worked any other time, so why does he continue?'_ Yamato thought. _'Guess I have to teach him a lesson.'_

Yamato thrust both of his hands down on the ground in front of him and focused his chakra.

Kiba saw his new sensei place his hands on the ground. Even though Kiba wasn't the best at detecting chakra, he could tell that Yamato-sensei was gathering chakra for an attack. Knowing that neither he nor Akamaru could let him finish his jutsu, the two charged even faster.

Suddenly, Kiba was unable to move. He looked down and saw that multiple vines had wrapped themselves around his feet. Quickly, they started to twist around him, until he was unable to move.

'At least this time I'm being trapped with vines instead of branches. This vine will be a lot easier to break than a branch. Plus, the vines don't have any thorns on them," Kiba thought.

Kiba barely had to focus as he extended his claw-like nails. One of the first things that an Inuzuka learned was how to change their nails into claws and how to extend them. Extending their claws was used in almost every Inuzuka ninjutsu.

Kiba's eyes narrowed with anger. His claws had barely scratched the vine. He lifted his claws again and re-enforced them with chakra before he swung them down. Again, nothing happened.

He tried again five more times, each time adding more and more chakra to his blows. The result stayed the same though; no matter how much chakra he added to his strikes, the vine refused to be cut. 'What's wrong with me? I've split kunai in half without having to add chakra to my strikes. What's going on?' Kiba wondered. Suddenly, he remembered the thorns that were on the branch. 'That's it! Yamato-sensei poisoned me! What a dirty trick! Damn bastard!' Kiba was pulled out of his rant when he heard the Mokuton user speak.

"Your tactic will not work. You must change your strategy in order to win."

"Don't worry, I'm going to rip these vines in half and then get a bell!" Kiba proclaimed. Instead of slashing the vines to pieces, he decided to tear them off of him. He grabbed two sides of a vine and pulled with all of his strength.

"Didn't I tell you that it wouldn't work? Oh, and I'm changing the rules of our training exercise."

"What?! You can't change the rules in the middle of the fight!" Kiba shouted indignantly.

"I'm in charge here. You are not. Therefore, I'm the one giving the orders. Anyways, to pass this test, you must free yourself of the vines."

"That's it?"

"Hai."

"Well then, here I go!" Kiba shouted as he raised his claws again.

--

"Unless he changes his strategy, Kiba-san will not break free anytime soon," Shino stated in his ever monotone voice.

"W-why? Kiba-kun's strikes a-are very p-p-powerful," countered Hinata.

"That they are Hinata-chan, that they are. However, I'm sure that Yamato-san realizes that as an Inuzuka, he is the member of our team with the most brute strength. He will have adjusted the current situation to give him an advantage."

"Kurenai-sensei is correct Hinata-san. Yamato-sensei must have planned numerous scenarios based on what he knew of our clans. However, I see an opening in Yamato-sensei's move. He is doing it on purpose; now, it is up to Kiba-san to see it."

Hinata stared worriedly down at the spar. Now that her teammate had mentioned it, she noticed the opening that he was talking about. However, she didn't think that Kiba-kun would notice it. He had never been that observant, despite the fact that he was on a reconnaissance team. On the team, he was supposed to be the tracker. In his mind though, he changed it to the muscle. And it showed on their missions too; he often picked unnecessary fights.

Back down at the spar, Kiba was still struggling to break free of the vines He had to relay on himself because Akamaru was in the same situation that he was in. His teeth didn't seem to be very effective against the vines.

"While you're immobile, I guess I should talk to you regarding your role on Team Eight. What is your role?" Yamato asked.

"My role? Akamaru and I are the muscle of this team! We're the ones who carry the others when they can't fight anymore! We're the ones who defeat the tough guys while the others get the information!"

"Muscle you say? That's not a word that should be used lightly you know," Yamato admonished.

"It's the truth! The others aren't nearly as good at taijutsu as I am!" proclaimed Kiba.

"What of Hinata-san? It is widely acknowledged throughout the Elemental Countries that the Juuken is the strongest style of taijutsu."

"Meh. That may be true, but she's not the strongest taijutsu user. She can't be stronger than me…there's no way she is."

"Oh? Care to explain why that is?"

"Two reasons. The first is really obvious-she's not a very good fighter. She's only good for scouting purposes," Kiba stated. He didn't notice that Yamato's eyes narrowed in anger; even if it was true, he shouldn't badmouth his teammate.

"The second reason," Kiba continued, "is that she's a girl. There's no way she could be stronger than me." If possible, Yamato's eyes narrowed even further. Call him old fashioned, but he hated anyone who disrespected those of the fairer gender. He had seen what happened to women when they were captured by men with no morals far too often during his days as an ANBU Captain.

"Is that so?"

"Yup! It's true. And Shino isn't exactly the best taijutsu user either. He may be good with his bugs, but those measly things can't stop someone of my caliber!"

"To some extent, I agree with your evaluation Kiba-san."

Kiba was shocked for a second. He had told his Okaasan and aneue about his role and the reasons why he thought that before, but they had just gotten mad at him. At first he thought it was because he thought he was stronger than Hinata-chan.

When he told Shino his evaluation of Hinata-chan after they went on some C-rank missions together, Shino had gotten angry as well. That meant that his family wasn't mad at him because he badmouthed a girl. He figured that everyone got angry at him because he was disrespecting the Hyuuga clan.

Now though, he had found someone who shared his opinion, and it was an ex-ANBU member. Almost immediately, all the negative feelings that he had felt towards the Jounin disappeared.

"I agree that you are the muscle of the group. However, I disagree with both your idea of what the muscle does and your analysis of your teammates."

Kiba was about to argue but Yamato glared at him with a small amount of killing intent laced in it.

"Let's address the issue of your analysis first, shall we? They are not just tools to supplement your skill; they are your friends, your brother and sister! A kunai is a tool, a shuriken is a tool, a soldier pill is a tool, even your claws are tools. Do you think that Akamaru is a tool?"

"Hell no! He's my best friend! Hell, I'd even call him my brother!"

"I see," Yamato said as he walked over to the entangled Akamaru. He pulled out a kunai and held it to Akamaru's exposed neck. "If I were to slash his throat and make you watch him bleed to death, what would you do?"

Kiba's eyes flashed with anger and started to breathe heavily. "I'd kill you! I'd rip your throat out with my teeth!"

Yamato blinked. He had worked with members of the Inuzuka clan before and knew that they were a bit more…feral than other members of Konoha, but he had never met an Inuzuka who had such a brutal fate in mind if someone harmed his ninken. When he asked other Inzuka members what they would do if someone killed their ninken, they often replied along the lines of "It would never happen!" or "I'll avenge their death."

He walked away from Akamaru and put his kunai back into his holster. He stepped closer to Kiba before speaking. "What would you do if your teammates were killed?"

"I'd avenge them of course. If Hinata-chan was harmed…then I'd rip her killer's limbs off and make them eat it!"

If Yamato hadn't served in the ANBU Black Ops for several years, he would have recoiled with disgust. However, he had seen far worse than that.

'_It would seem that he is not nearly as protective of Shino-san as he is with Hinata-san. I assume that his protectiveness extends from his lust. To be honest, I am surprised that she hasn't noticed all the staring that he does-he's not that discreet with it.'_

Yamato had noticed that Kiba-san was constantly staring at Hinata-san. He would even go as far as to say that he was undressing her with his eyes. The first time he noticed the staring was when he had told them of their training trip. Then, during their journey to the training location, he had noticed it far too often. He decided not to do anything about it. After all, Inuzuka males were infamous for being sexually active; it probably had to do with their close ties to their dogs. As long as Kiba-san didn't force himself upon Hinata-san, he wouldn't do anything.

"Very well. Your answers are…acceptable. Now, think about your role as the muscle. Why is your definition wrong?"

Kiba thought for a moment. "Eh, I don't know?"

"You don't?" questioned Yamato. "Think…"

The young Inuzuka scrunched his eyes as he thought again. What was wrong with his definition? He was obviously the muscle of the team, there was no denying it.

"I still don't see it."

Yamato sighed. If Kiba didn't figure out what it really meant to be the muscle of a reconnaissance team, then when the time came that the team needed him, he wouldn't perform up to expectation. Kiba still didn't seem to grasp the meaning; Yamato supposed that he would have to talk to him about it.

"Would you like me to tell you what it really means to be the muscle of a reconnaissance team?"

"Yeah! I can't figure it out."

"Every team has people with different roles. Even if the roles go by the same name, their functions can differ from one another if their teams have different purposes. On Team Seven, Uzumaki Naruto, has the role of the muscle."

"So he has the same job as me?"

"No. Didn't I just say that roles can be different if they the teams have different roles?"

"Well, I know that I'm on a reconnaissance team, but what's he on?"

Yamato mentally collapsed. True, a sensei should never discourage questions, but some of the questions that Kiba-san asked were ridiculous. He should have already known the answers to most of the questions he asked.

"His team is a combat team. Originally, Uchiha Sasuke was the main reason that Kakashi-senpai's team was designated as a combat team. With his Sharingan, he would have fit the role of the muscle in a combat team perfectly. Naruto would have served as support due to his extremely large chakra reserves."

"However, after the Uchiha's defection, the team was unable to function properly. Not only did Team Seven lose their muscle of the team, but more importantly, they lost a teammate. Remember Kiba-san, a team is only able to operate at full capacity when it is complete. Missing a member is like making a soldier pill with only a fourth of the ingredients. It may work or it might not; if it does work, then it won't be as effective as a properly made soldier pill."

"I digress though. Luckily, during his training trip, Naruto-san learned many ninjutsus under his tutelage of Jiraiya-sama. With his knowledge, he was able to make a new role by combining his old role and the Uchiha's former role as the muscle."

Kiba's hair bristled as his new sensei mentioned Naruto's training trip. It wasn't fair at all! Why had the dobe been accepted as the apprentice of the legendary Gama-sannin?

"So what's that have to do with me?"

"It was an example to show you the difference between two shinobi who share the common role as a muscle. Now obviously, Naruto-san's role is to defeat as many opponents as he can. Since his team is a combat team, he may have to clear a way through a blockade or even defeat an encampment of enemy shinobi."

Kiba felt his jealousy spike as he heard what the fool was expected to do on missions. Why did he get all the fun missions? Whenever he tried to do more damage to the enemies, Kurenai-sensei always stopped him. If he was about to charge into a camp and take it down with a few well placed Gatsuugas, then Kurenai-sensei would bark out a retreat order. Why didn't he get to show off his combat skill?

"Kiba-san, you're role as muscle is not to cause damage to the enemy. Rather, it would be to protect your teammates."

"Huh?" Kiba was confused; protect his teammates? How did that work? Wouldn't the muscle do as much damage as possible?

"Like you said, you're the strongest member of your team in terms of taijutsu. There may be a time when you will have to pay the ultimate sacrifice for your team," Yamato stated in a grave voice.

--

Kiba scratched his head. He still didn't understand what Yamato-sensei was talking about.

Yamato sighed. "Let me give you a scenario. Your team was assigned a mission where you had to infiltrate an enemy fortress and steal a scroll filled with information regarding the number of shinobi in the enemy force."

"As you take the scroll and make it out to the surrounding forest, you realize that you are being followed by a large force of enemy shinobi, numbering at least fifty strong. Akamaru is injured by a stray kunai, which renders him unable to walk. Thus, either Shino-san or you will have to carry him back to Konoha. However, carrying him raises a problem."

"Carrying him means that your speed will be greatly reduced, thus allowing the enemy to reach you and your team, but more importantly they will be able to recover the stolen scroll. What would you do in this situation?"

"Stand our ground and fight! It's the only thing to do. What else could we do?"

"Only partially correct Kiba-san, only partially correct. The correct answer…well, correct isn't exactly the right word to use since nothing about the outcome is correct. I suppose…best would be a better word to use. The best answer would be that _you_, and you alone, would stay behind and fight."

"But…but, I'll be slaughtered! I'm strong, but there's no way I'll be able to defeat at least fifty enemy shinobi!" shouted Kiba.

"Of course not. There are very few who would be able to do so. But defeating them is not the point. The point is that you'll be able to distract them. You'll be able to buy your team valuable time, time that they can use to escape and get closer to Konoha."

"You…you're saying that I'm a sacrifice?!"

"If you want to use such a crude term, then yes. I don't like to think of it like that though."

"Then…then how should I think of it?" questioned Kiba.

"You're giving your life to ensure that your teammates will be able to escape safely. You're giving your life to give Konoha a major advantage, and in the process help save numerous lives. You won't be widely recognized for your sacrifice and your name will not go down in legend."

"Then why would I want to die before I can make a name for myself?"

"Because you'll die knowing that you managed to save not only those precious to you, but those of countless others. You will be an unacknowledged hero. Many do not realize that a majority of the noblest heroes are unacknowledged."

"A Konoha shinobi died last week, did you know that?" questioned Yamato. When he saw Kiba shake his head, he continued. "I didn't think that you would. Even I don't know his name; I just heard about it in passing. I doubt that anyone will know and remember his name except for those closest to him. However, he died a hero."

"Huh? How could he have died a hero? If he did something great, then wouldn't I have heard about it?"

"He is an unacknowledged hero. Do you think that the peace that Konoha is experiencing is great?"

"Of course! Peace means that I get time to train and time to play with Akamaru."

"That shinobi died in order to allow Konoha to experience the peace that it has. Every shinobi who has their name on the memorial stone in Konoha is truly a hero, even if a few are more famous than others."

"Now the question is Kiba-san, would you willing fight against countless opponents in order to buy your team the time that they needed?"

Kiba opened his mouth before he froze and seemed to rethink his answer. He repeated the process multiple times. He was so focused on thinking of what he was going to say that he didn't realize that the vines that held him slowly sank back into the ground.

"You don't have to answer me now. Take your time; when you have an answer ready, come talk to me," Yamato said as he walked away. He sat under a tree and took the time to admire the beauty of their surroundings. Hahaoya Tsuchi was truly magnificent.

--

About twenty minutes later, Yamato stopped starring at the beautiful surroundings as he heard footsteps coming towards him. "What is it?"

"I…I guess I would give my life for them."

"Why?"

"Because…because they mean more than anything to me!"

"Good. You pass the test. Go and rest with your teammates. Make sure you get some sleep for tomorrow your combat training will begin."

Kiba turned around and started to walk with Akamaru to go meet up with the rest of his team, who had jumped down from a tree and were walking towards a clearing. He asked one last question.

"Yamato-sensei…are you saying that this is my fate?"

Yamato closed his eyes. "There is no such thing as fate. However, I'm not going to beat around the bush. There is a chance that you will find yourself in the situation that I described to you."

"You may come to a time where someone must be sacrificed. Your teammates will argue with you, but deep down all of you know that you are the one who must stay behind to buy them time. You will be forced to fight to the death; you may not even be killed quickly. They might torture you first, in order to see if they can get any information out of you. However, you can die knowing that you bought your team enough time to get to safety."

Kiba looked a bit pale. "I…I see. I think that I understand now Yamato-sensei," he said before he walked over to his team.

Yamto watched from his position beneath the tree as Kiba-san and Akamaru rejoined their teammates and sensei.

'_It would seem as though Kiba-san is finally starting to realize what his spot in his team truly is. It may have been a bit harsh, but with what the future has in store for Konoha, he has to embrace his role.'_

--

Kurenai smiled as Kiba and Akamaru came back. She had been worried for a bit; she didn't know if he would be able to pass Yamato-san's test. "Congratulations Kiba-kun. You did great."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Kiba-kun, a-a-are you alright?" questioned Hinata. "You l-look a b-b-bit pale."

"I'm fine, just tired."

"I assume that whatever question he posed to you was your test rather than grabbing a bell?"

"Hai. Did you hear it?"

"No," answered Kurenai. "And don't tell us. If Yamato-san had wanted us to hear, he would have spoken louder. Now, enough about the test. I cooked some food before we left to have in celebration of passing Yamato-san's test."

"If we had not passed the test, would we have been sent back to Konoha?"

"Not at all Shino-kun. Instead, you would have had to keep on trying until you passed the test. Now, dig in!"

In front of the three Chuunin were an array of dishes. There was rice, assorted meats and vegetables, and fruits. Before anyone had time to eat, Hinata spoke up.

"Ano, s-shouldn't we a-a-ask Yamato-sensei t-to join u-us?"

Kurenai grinned sheepishly. "You know, he's so quiet that I totally forgot about him. Oh, and before I call him over, do not ask him why he is able to use Mokuton. It is his choice if he wants to tell your or not. I only ask that you do not pressure him to."

After she saw her students nod, she got up and walked over to where Yamato was sitting.

"Yamato-san, would you like some food? I brought plenty," asked Kurenai.

Yamato stopped staring at the sky and looked at her. "I would enjoy that. I can not say that I will enjoy eating the ration bars at every meal for two months."

Kurenai just laughed. "So even the stoic Yamato can't stomach it?"

"No, I can't. It doesn't taste like anything that Hahaoya Tsuchi could produce."

"You really believe in that don't you?"

"Not that, _her_. And yes I do. I don't expect many to understand why. After all, I am the only person alive that has such a connection with the Earth."

Kurenai gave a sad smile. "I can't even come close to trying to understand what it must feel like, being the last Mokuton user."

Yamato gave her a sad smile of her own. "I have accepted it as my fate. Even if I have children, they will not inherit the Mokuton ability since those genes were forcefully grafted onto mine. The worst thing about it though, is that after I pass on Hahaoya Tsuchi will be completely forgotten. The only reason that people know of her is because they have heard me speak of her."

"How sad, to be forgotten by the very people that live off of you. That must be the worst fate possible."

"Worst fate? No. Raising a child by yourself is much worse. I haven't had time to say this, but I am truly sorry for your loss. Even though I only went on a few missions with him, I know he was a good person."

Kurenai fought back her tears. It seemed that no matter what happened, she would always tear up when Asuma-kun was brought up. "Hai. Sometimes, I wonder if I can truly raise the child by myself."

Yamato gave her a slight smile. "You are like Hinata-san in the sense that you both underestimate how strong you truly are. I know you can raise your child. However, you are not alone. There are plenty of people who will help you, whether you ask for it or not."

Kurenai chuckled. "Oh I know. The Sarutobi clan has already offered, seeing as the child is half Sarutobi. My own team and my best friend, Mitarashi Anko, have offered their services as well."

"I wouldn't suggest that you let Anko-san help you raise the child. At least, not until the child is a bit older. You don't want her rubbing off on your child. But, I wasn't referring to the others. I was referring to Naruto-kun."

"Ah yes, he confronted me about it. I had to slap some sense into him. He seemed to think that it was his fault that Asuma-kun died."

Yamato's eyes darkened. "I know. We were training when we found out. As soon as he heard that Asuma-san had passed on, he fell down to all fours. During all of our training sessions, I have never seen him collapse and stay down for more than a minute. This time though, he was still for five minutes."

"Kakashi-senpai and I tried talking to him, but all he did was curl into the fetal position and rock back and forth. Neither one of us knew what to do; we didn't know that Naruto-kun was close to Asuma-san. After a few minutes he started repeating, 'It's all my fault…I'm too weak…I failed again.' It took us a few days before he got back to normal."

"I knew that he thought that Asuma-kun's death was his fault, but after the funeral he confronted me about it and apologized. He actually apologized because he thought it was his fault that Asuma-kun died, can you believe that?"

"Hai. Behind the mask that he wears lies a very fragile and emotional boy. Did you know that shortly after the funeral he cried. At first, I didn't understand what he was talking about, but now I know."

"I went to the training ground to monitor his progress, but I didn't see him training. After searching for him, I found him sitting under a tree crying. This was the first time that I had seen him cry. I've seen a Rasengan explode in his hand, severely burning it, and he didn't even let out so much as a whimper. His crying did more than just unnerve me; it shook my very soul."

"I asked him what was wrong, but all wouldn't give me a straight answer. All he said was, 'She should hate me, she really should, but she doesn't! She has every right to hate me, but she doesn't! Why? People hate me for something I had no choice over, so why doesn't she hate me for something that I could have prevented?!' I asked him to elaborate, but he didn't. He just got back up and started training. He never elaborated, and I never asked."

Kureani was stunned. "But…but why was he crying? I told him not to beat himself up over Asuma-kun's death."

Yamato smiled. "But in his mind, you had…have every right to hate him, yet you don't. I think he was confused; think about his past. Naruto-kun has been hated ever since he was born for something that he had no control over, something that he knows wasn't his fault."

"Then Asuma-san dies, and he feels that if he had been there he could have done something to prevent his death whether it be turning himself in or unleashing the Kyuubi's chakra. Yet, you don't hate him. He's confused why so many hate him for something that he had no control over and you don't hate him for something he could have prevented."

"I…I never realized that he felt like that. He…he always seemed so happy. I mean, I'm not as blind as Kakashi-san that I didn't even realize that Naruto-san was wearing a mask."

Yamato sighed. "Hai, Kakashi-senpai was truly blind in the beginning. He only focused on the Uchiha. I often wonder how much stronger Naruto-kun would be if he had been properly trained. Enough of this though, let's go eat. I don't want your students to eat all of it."

The two headed back. "Yamato-san? Naruto-san is a good person, isn't he?"

Yamato smiled before he answered. "Hai. Just show him a simple act of kindness, and you'll have a loyal friend for life. He will make a fine Hokage…as soon as the village gets over their hate of him."

"Wow, took you long enough! Akamaru and I were about to start, but Shino and Hinata-chan made us wait!" shouted an impatient Kiba.

"I'm sorry for making you guys wait," Kurenai said. "What are you waiting for? Dig in?"

After everyone had eaten to their fill, Yamato cleaned the dishes with a minor Suiton jutsu before Kurenai packed them away. Just as the three Chuunin were about to set up their tents, Yamato spoke.

"You all need very well on your test. Kurenai-san had her gift to you, and now it is time for me to give you your gift," Yamato said before he slammed both of his hands on the ground.

Everyone's eyes widened. In front of them was a wooden mansion. It was amazing.

Yamato laughed at Team Eight's expression. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on in!"

--

'_Oi, aneue, what do I do now?' _

Naruto had reached the cave shortly after his clone speaking with Tsunami had dispersed itself.

'_**Hmm…just bite your thumb and place it on the inner seal again. It should be just like summoning.'**_

'_How much chakra do I need to put in it?'_

'_**Not much. The Summon Council just needs to know that you're here and that it's you, not somebody else.'**_

'_Okay, here it goes!'_

Naruto put his hand forth and used as much chakra as he would use for a simple Kawarmi.

Suddenly, Naruto's body fell to the ground. The only movement from his body came from his beating heart.

Naruto felt as though he was flying. It was dark, very dark. He couldn't see a thing, but he could feel that he was moving.

'_Aneue, what's going on?'_

'_**Don't worry, you're in your spirit body now. You're just traveling to Spirit Realm.'**_

'_Oh, okay. So my body is fine?'_

'_**Hai. Well, your physical body is fine.'**_

A few seconds later, Naruto felt solid ground beneath him. He looked up, and realized that he could see again. To his surprise, it looked like he was in a large building. It was a huge room; around him were seats and empty space, and in front of him there were five huge circles inscribed on the ground. Beyond that, he couldn't see anything else; it was that dark.

Suddenly, a giant cloud of smoke appeared. Naruto recognized the smell; it was the smoke that accompanied a summon.

'_**Ah, it would seem as though the Summon Council has arrived.' **_

Naruto could only stare as he saw who was on the Summon Council; however, he was only able to see three of the five, but it was more than enough to surprise him.

"W-w-what the hell?!" he yelled.

--

Author's Note: Okay, well this chapter came out a lot faster than the last one (if you count the update I did on _Here's To Looking At You_). There are two reasons why.

1) I'm not happy with how the manga has been going. Not happy at all. Especially not with how Sasuke has been getting so powerful. He is way too powerful.

2) **VFSNAKE** inspired me to write faster! I honestly didn't know that such a great author read my stories, so imagine my surprise when I got a PM from him asking when I was going to update! If you haven't read his stories, I suggest that you do-he's a great author.

I've gotten a few reviews and PM's saying that the characters are horribly out of character, but this is an AU story. I tried not to change the characters' personalities too much at the beginning, but as the story progresses, their personalities _will_ differ. Not too drastically, but they will not have the same personalities as they do in cannon.

I'm going to work on chapter four of this story next. I really wanted to get to the Trials this chapter, but then it would have been way too long. After that, I think I'll get started on chapter three of _Here's To Looking At You_.

I'll try to keep a progress update on my profile page, so you can check out the status of the next chapters there. I made a thread for this in a forum. The link can be found in my profile.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review! I don't mind flames, as long as you put in a reason why you think I deserve that flame.


	4. The Trials

Chapter 4: The Trials

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't own Final Fantasy. I don't own any other shows/mangas that I may have inadvertently taken some names from.

Author's Note: I think this is the fastest that I've ever updated! And it's longer than the previous chapter, coming in at 67 pages! As usual, there will be another Author's Note at the bottom (please read it), but for now, on with the story!

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self/Boss Summon Talk**"

'_**Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts**_'

Last Time:

A few seconds later, Naruto felt solid ground beneath him. He looked up, and realized that he could see again. To his surprise, it looked like he was in a large building. It was a huge room; around him were seats and empty space, and in front of him there were five huge circles inscribed on the ground. Beyond that, he couldn't see anything else; it was that dark.

Suddenly, a giant cloud of smoke appeared. Naruto recognized the smell; it was the smoke that accompanied a summon.

'_**Ah, it would seem as though the Summon Council has arrived.' **_

Naruto could only stare as he saw who was on the Summon Council.

"W-w-what the hell?!" he yelled.

--

**Begin:**

**Chapter 4: The Trials**

"You three are on the Council?!" shouted a surprised Naruto. Three of the five bosses in front of him were Konoha's most famous summons.

"**I don't see why you're so surprised,"** boomed Gamabunta.

"Well, you never told your summoners about Kyuubi's attempt to create a summoning contract for kitsunes, did you?"

"**It was not relevant for them to know,"** Enma firmly stated**. "Would it have changed anything?"**

"It would have changed their opinion on Kyuubi! An innocent victim wouldn't have been thought of as guilty!"

"**Are you implying that the Kyuubi is innocent?"** questioned an astonished Katsuya.

"You mean that you didn't know?" Seeing them shake their heads, he continued. "I assume that you know that Kyuubi picked Orochimaru to be her temporary summoner?"

"**Hai and that was the start of her downfall. She should have seen Orochimaru's true intentions from the start,"** Enma stated.

'_Aneue, aren't you going to defend yourself?'_

'_**No, he's right. Besides, I'm not allowed to speak up until I am called for. For now, this is your battle.'**_

Naruto mentally frowned. He didn't realize how much he had come to relay on his aneue for advice.

"Just like the Sandaime Hokage should have realized that Orochimaru would have turned bad when he passed his team?" Naruto countered.

Enma bristled with anger. Though he agreed with Naruto's statement, he didn't want to admit it. His respect for his deceased summoner was far too high for him to allow anyone to insult him. Except if he was doing the insulting, of course.

"**Enough,"** Katsuya firmly stated. **"Naruto-san, I believe that you were about to tell us why Kyuubi is innocent?"**

"Hai. To make a long story short, Orochimaru forced Kyuubi to attack Konoha."

"**That is rather troubling news,"** Gamabunta stated. **"If it is true, then he is far stronger than we had thought."**

"**Furthermore, how is that Kyuubi was controlled? It would have taken an unimaginable amount of power to force her to do anything against her will,"** Katsuya said.

"I can answer that," Naruto stated. "At the time he was approached by the true leader of Akatsuki. The leader helped Orochimaru design a seal to help him control Kyuubi. On the eve of Kyuubi's attack, the leader of Akatsuki used an extremely powerful Genjutsu before Orochimaru activated the seal."

"**Have you determined who the leader of Akatsuki is?"** questioned Enma. **"If we have more information on the leader, then we will be able to ensure that a tragedy like the one that occurred sixteen years ago does not take place again."**

"I was able to confirm the identity of the leader," admitted Naruto.

"**Well? Who is it?"** Gamabunta questioned. Someone who played a major role in such a catastrophic event had to be punished.

"Have any of you ever heard of Uchiha Madara?" questioned Naruto.

'_Aneue, how come the other two bosses haven't showed themselves yet? Should I ask them to come out?'_

'_**They are probably observing you to judge your personality. Of the three in front of you, Gamabunta-sama and Katsuya-sama have first hand knowledge of your character. Enma-sama has probably heard all about you from the Sandaime. Whatever you do, do not call out the other two bosses!'**_

'_Why not? And you know who they are, don't you?'_

'_**Of course I know who they are. After all, they were…are my superiors. That's why I refer to them with the "-sama" suffix. And remember, you must be respectful! All of the bosses will not tolerate rudeness during the Trials!'**_

'_Fine.'_

"**Uchiha Madara…I have heard of that name from the Sandaime. But if my memory serves me correctly, isn't he the one who helped found Konoha alongside the Shodiame Hokage? He is far too old to be alive!"** questioned Enma with a furrowed brow.

"**And how do you know this?"** questioned Gamabunta.

Enma chuckled. **"My latest summoner was trained by both the Shodaime and Nidame. He often told me stories of their exploits and their history. He was rather fond of them."**

"**I too have heard of Uchiha Madara."** Upon seeing Gamabunta's questioning eyes, Katsuya continued, **"The Slug Contract has been in Tsunade's family for generations. The Shodaime and Nidame Hokage came from her clan, the Senju."**

"You are all correct," Naruto answered. "Uchiha Madara was one of the primary founders of Konoha."

"**But how is that possible?"** Gamabunta questioned. **"If your information is correct, then he shouldn't be alive. He should be dead!"**

"Hai, he should be dead. But he isn't."

"**There is no way he can be alive. Your information must be faulty,"** Enma said.

"It is extremely accurate. One of my spies observed him giving orders to several Akatsuki teams before he departed for an unknown purpose. My spy followed him to the Valley of the End."

"I'm not sure if you know, but at the Valley of the End, there are two statues there as a memorial of a great battle that was fought there years ago. One statue is of the Shodaime Hokage and the other is of Uchiha Madara."

"My spy saw him sit on top of the statue of Madara; he got close enough to hear Madara start to talk to himself. He reminisced about his fight with the Shodaime and all that had happened since he left Konoha and commented about how he played a major role in Kyuubi's attack all those years ago."

The three summons in front of Naruto started arguing with one another, completely forgetting about him.

"**The evidence that Naruto has brought forth can not be disputed!" **Gamabunta stated.

"**Are you willing to trust the word of this child?" **Enma countered.

"**The evidence is undeniable!"**

"**Are you sure? Or are you just saying that because he is your summoner?"**

"**Are you insinuating something?"**

"**Just the facts, just the facts."**

"**Enma-san, Gamabunta is correct. If Madara was able to manipulate the Kyuubi, then something must be done."**

"**You too Katsuya? I wouldn't have thought that you would be blinded!"**

"**Blinded? How am I blinded? You know very well that he is not my summoner."**

"**True, but it you can not deny the fact that your summoner favors him. Besides, what of your past friendship with the Kyuubi? Are your decisions being made based on fact or emotion?"** questioned Enma.

'_Friendship? Aneue, you were friends with Katsuya?'_

'_**Hai. That was many years ago though. I'll tell you about it some other time though. You should pay attention to what they are saying. It is vital to know the positions of each Council Members.'**_

"**You should know that my arguments are always based on the facts,"** Katsuya stated. When Enma had brought up her old friendship with the Kyuubi, it felt as though he had ripped the scab off of a barely healed wound.

Despite her words, Katsuya wanted to believe Naruto's words. She and their other close friend had both felt…betrayed when word reached the Spirit Realm that the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha. If the Kyuubi hadn't meant to attack Konoha, then there might still be a chance to re-forge their friendship. That is, if the Kyuubi forgave her for not believing her or being there for her when she needed her the most.

"**You shouldn't be talking Enma. The Sandaime favored Naruto as well."**

Enma couldn't see a way out of Gamabunta's statement. It was true though. The Sandaime had often summoned Enma when he needed to vent about the child's treatment. If half of the things that he was told was true, then there was no way that the child in front of him didn't hold any negative feelings towards Konoha. With the Sandaime gone, it was up to him to protect Konoha however he could. He had no way of knowing if this was a clever ploy to destroy Konoha.

"**Let's say we do take the child's words as truth. What do you suggest we do about it?"** Enma said in an attempt to avoid Gamabunta's statement.

Gamabunta smirked; he knew as well as anyone else that Enma was trying to change the subject in order to avoid embarrassment. **"Then we will ban together and fight. Fight to defeat Madara!"**

Enma snorted. **"Are you truly so naïve as to believe that we would be able to win such a fight? Remember, this is the man who helped control the Kyuubi! The Kyuubi! Not just a simple summon, but the strongest of the Bijuu! Need I remind you that the combined powers of everyone on this council would barely be enough to be greater than the full power of the Kyuubi?"**

Naruto felt that the debate would take a turn for the worse unless he stepped in. Besides, he was the one who had called them together; he shouldn't have been left out of the argument in the first place. Before he spoke, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. Normally, he would have just blurted something out, but he remembered his aneue's suggestion to remain polite.

"I hate to interrupt, but one way or another, many Summon Clans will be facing Madara. It is inevitable that Summon Clans will be drawn into the upcoming war. Are you aware that Konoha will be invaded in approximately nine months?"

Enma snorted. **"Of course we're aware of that. Gamabunta told us, who heard it from the Gama-sennin. His spy network is rather complex as I'm sure you know."**

'_Heh, time to make him take me seriously!'_

"And who do you think told Jiraiya-sensei about it?"

Katsuya was stunned. **"Naruto-san, are you saying that you were the one who found out about the invasion?"**

Naruto smiled, "Hai. My spy network is very complex and effective. Even Jiraiya-sensei will admit that my own network is more effective than his."

Gamabunta laughed**. "I was wondering why that old fool wouldn't tell me how his spies got the information; he didn't even know how you did it! I knew letting you become my summoner was a good move!"**

"**Let's get back to business, shall we? I'm sure that there will be time later to exalt on Naruto's skill in setting up such an effective network."** To be honest, Enma was rather surprised that Naruto was the one who gathered the information. The information was accurate, and after sending out some of his own scouts, he was able to determine that the information was accurate.

However, he wasn't ready to trust him just yet. He wouldn't let his guard down when it came to the protection of Konoha; the Sandaime had made the mistake of letting his guard down with Orochimaru and he had regretted it for the rest of his life. Until he administered his own trial, his suspicions of Naruto would remain.

"Very well," Naruto answered. "At one time or another, your summoners will summon you to help them in the war. Would you rather face the enemies by yourself or when you are fighting together? You can't avoid the confrontation, but you can pick how you will fight. Enma-sama, you should know that teamwork is the best weapon in any battle."

"**Are you saying that you want us to go to war for you?"** Enma asked.

"No. That would be beyond my rights. I could only ask the Toad Clan to go to war for me, and even then they have every right to refuse. Your summoner, I presume someone from the Sarutobi clan, could ask you to go to war for them however."

"**The war that will come in less than a year will be one that has never been seen before. In all of the other Great Wars, never was a side so badly outnumbered or outclassed as Konoha will be in this one. The quality of Konoha's shinobi may be higher than the others, but quality only goes so far against quantity,"** Enma warned.

Before Naruto could respond, a harsh male laugh came from one of the two areas behind the three bosses.

"**Hah! Seems like the old tree-swinger is afraid of fighting! Why are you so afraid of fighting in a war? You should be honored that you will be allowed to spill the blood of those who would harm your summoner!" **

"**I am afraid that I do not share your love of war, you overgrown bat,"** Enma stated coldly.

'_Overgrown bat? Is this the old bat that they had to go find? I've never seen a bat summon before. I bet he's terrifying.'_

As the owner of the voice came forth, Naruto realized that he was right. The boss was downright terrifying. His wings were huge, even though they were against his back and not extended to their full length. His claws looked to be razor-sharp and were as long as his entire leg. When his mouth was opened, Naruto could tell that the smallest of his teeth were easily the length of his forearm.

'_This…this is no bat!'_

And indeed it wasn't. Instead of seeing a bat walk forth, it was a dragon that walked forth.

When Naruto got over his surprise of seeing a dragon instead of a bat, he continued his examination of the boss. His legs rippled with his muscles whenever he took a step forward to join the other bosses. Though his arms seemed to be out of proportion when compared to the rest of his body, he had no doubt that he would be able to tear one of the giant trees in Konoha from the ground with a single pull.

If Naruto thought that the dragon's muscular arms and legs were intimidating, then the dragon's tail was enough to kill him just by seeing them. The top of his tail was covered with spikes, jutting out in different angles. He bet that the dragon would be able to knock down the Hokage Tower with a single swipe.

To top off his appearance, he had two bull-like horns on the top of his head. They looked as if they were just as sharp as his talons and teeth.

His skin was dark black in color, a major contrast to the pure white color talons and teeth. The dragon's eyes were a glowing, dark red. They seemed to drill through Naruto's entire soul.

'_I wonder how fast he can fly. Aneue, do you think he can breathe fire?'_

'_**He can fly much faster than you would think someone of his size can fly. And yes, he can breathe fire. The fire is so hot and powerful that even I would be hurt from a single blast.'**_

'_Is he blood-thirsty? He seems like he's in love with fighting.'_

'_**He's not blood-thirsty. He just likes to come off as being blood-thirsty. He knows that it makes his already intimidating appearance even more intimidating. However he does follow a strict sense of justice. He won't kill unless he has a good reason to. When he must, he will do everything he can to protect the innocent and those that he cares for. Now pay attention, I believe that he is on your side, but I can't be sure.'**_

"**Love of war? I don't love war. I'm just willing to do what I must in order to defend justice. It seems that you're trying to avoid fighting. You know, if your summoner had done his duty, then he would still be alive."**

That was a low blow, and Naruto stepped in to defend the Sandaime. It wasn't his fault that he still considered Orochimaru as one of his precious people, even though the Hebi-sennin didn't.

"You speak of justice, yet you can't understand why the Sandaime wanted to avoid killing Orochimaru? He still wanted to save Orochimaru, to bring him out of the darkness. Don't you think that saving someone precious to you would count as justice?"

Enma was shocked. Why was Naruto defending Sarutobi's actions? If he had killed the traitor that day so many years ago, then many of Naruto's current problems wouldn't have occurred.

Before the boss could speak up, the final voice spoke up.

"**He has you there you know," **a feminine voice stated.

"**Has me you say? I think not. For the crimes that Orochimaru has done, the only justice would be to kill him. The moment he experimented on children his fate was sealed. If those were his only crimes, then I would have killed him quickly. For attacking a village for personal gain, I will kill him slowly. I might even eat him. It has been a while since I've eaten snake."**

"Your sense of justice has no room for second chances, does it?" Naruto asked.

"**Second chances? Actually, it does. Though it would be a crime, I'm not going to kill someone for stealing food when hunger gnaws at their stomach. If someone commits a crime as heinous as killing their own sensei who has done no harm to them, then I will kill them. Someone as evil as that does not deserve a second chance; sometimes, you have to kill to survive."**

"**I have two rules for you to remember ningen: One-I don't kill without a reason. Two-I can always find a reason to kill."**1

"**Oh, stop trying to frighten him. Anyone can tell that he's not intimidated by your speech…or your appearance," **came the mysterious feminine voice.

The final boss stepped out of the shadows and into Naruto's view.

Instead of having an intimidating aura, this boss had one of comfort.

'_But then again, dragons are usually perceived as being dangerous and intimidating. Phoenixes are usually associated with healing and protecting,' _Naruto thought.

Even the boss's appearance was comforting. Her feathers were all bright red in color, and her beak was a bright yellow. The phoenix's golden eyes were a stark contrast to her red feathers. Naruto was so caught up thinking about how gentle the boss looked that he didn't notice her talons.

Her talons were long and curved, much like the dragon's talons. They weren't as large as his, but Naruto would bet that they were just as deadly.

'_Aneue, does this phoenix have any special powers?'_

'_**I guess you could call it that. The Phoenix clan is known for their legendary healing abilities. However, they are still fierce fighters. Don't underestimate their talons and beaks.'**_

"**Hmph."**

"**Do you have to be so rude? You didn't even give out your name," **she stated, scolding the dragon.

She turned to face Naruto before speaking. "**You may call me Hikari."**

"It is a pleasure to meet you Hikari-sama. I am Uzumaki Naruto," he said before he bowed.

"**Feh. My name is Bahamut. Remember it well, ningen."**

"It is an honor to meet you Bahamut-sama," Naruto said, bowing once again.

"**Enough with the introductions,"** Bahamut stated in a deep voice. **"Your evidence can not be disputed, even if a certain tree-swinger wants to look the other way,"** he said scathingly.

"**However, I have another question for you to answer,"** he continued. **"Why have you called us here?"**

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He was confused; why wouldn't the members of the Summon Council know why they were summoned?

"Forgive me for my impudence, but may I ask why it is that you do not know why you were summoned?" Naruto questioned.

Bahamut snorted, and a cloud of smoke came out of his nostrils. **"Feh, first thing I knew was a bunch of toads were poking me with their little knives, trying to wake me up! It's not like any of us know why you summoned us. We just know that we have to come."**

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well…I called you here because…I want to undergo the Trials in order to become the temporary summoner of the Kitsune Clan."

--

"Hah!"

"Guh!"

"Very good Hinata-san," Yamato stated. "Now, even if he wanted to, Kiba-san will not be able to hurt you."

It was five in the morning and the sun was just starting to rise. The Chuunin members of Team Eight were all training under Yamato. Kurenai was still sleeping inside the house that Yamato had erected. Yamato had insisted that they let her sleep in. He reasoned that a pregnant woman needs all the sleep she can get.

Today's lesson was on pressure points. Yamato had first taught them all the pressure points on the body. By adding chakra to them, certain side effects could occur. Some would cause partial paralysis, full paralysis, unconsciousness, and even death.

While Kiba was most impressed by being able to kill someone with a single tap, Hinata was more fascinated by those that could cause complete paralysis. Shino didn't seem to care about the lesson, but everyone knew that he was paying very close attention.

After teaching them about the pressure points, Yamato had taken out three scrolls. Opening one of them, he started to point out the location of pressure points. After they memorized the location of a non-lethal one, they were told to try it out on their sparring partner (under the close supervision of Yamato of course). When they successfully tested it out, then they were to memorize the remaining pressure points-both lethal and non-lethal and then work on their clan's techniques.

Hinata had just successful tapped a pressure point underneath Kiba's right shoulder, rendering approximately ninety percent of his body paralyzed. His vital organs were able to function, and he should be able to talk, though talking would be difficult since he had limited control over his tongue.

"Ano Kiba-kun, a-a-are you alright?" Hinata asked as she kneeled down next to him.

"That hurt more than I thought, but I'll be able to move around soon, don't worry!" he said rather slowly. The pressure point that Hinata had hit barely let him move; he had to struggle to talk.

'_The view is really nice too…'_ And indeed it was; from Kiba's position he was in the perfect position to view Hinata's ample assets.

Hinata stood up to go and start to memorize more of the paralysis pressure points.

"Oi, Hinata-chan! I got a question for you before you leave," Kiba said.

Hinata kneeled back down next to Kiba. "Hai?"

Kiba managed to look a bit sheepish as he asked, "So when do you want to go on that next date? Just because we're out training doesn't mean that we can't go on a date. I brought some _real_ food that we could share after training some time."

Hinata froze as she heard her teammate's question. _'What do I do? Okaasan, what would you do? Should I go on with my life or wait and pine for Naruto-san? Am I strong enough to move on?'_

'_Wait, what am I talking about? I trained hard for three years, I am strong! There's no point in me wasting my time! I wasted sixteen years, no more!'_

"I'd love to Kiba-kun. Tonight?"

Kiba was a bit stunned. He didn't think that he had made a good impression with her on their first date. If he was able to move his body, he would have jumped in joy. He could barely even talk since Hinata had hit that pressure point.

"Sure, tonight would be great! I'll pick you up!"

Hinata forced a laugh since she knew that Kiba-kun was trying to be funny. She didn't want to hurt his feelings by not laughing. She stood up and walked towards her room in Yamato's house in order to memorize the scroll on pressure points.

'_Am I…am I doing the right thing? My head says yes, but my heart is crying…'_

--

Naruto had thought that his intent of establishing the Kitsune Clan as a summoning clan had caused a ruckus in Baachan's office. If that was a ruckus, then what was going on in front of him was a riot.

For a moment, there had been silence before they had time to get over their shock. Once they were over their shock, then they all started yelling. Just like in Baachan's office. However, that was where the similarity ended.

When Naruto had explained his plan to Ero-sennin and Baachan and they got over their shock, they had started to yell at him. The summons though, completely ignored him and argued with one another. He didn't know whether he should be insulted that they ignored him or thankful that he wasn't involved in their argument.

To be honest, Naruto was frightened. He hadn't been conscious when Gamabunta and Katsuya had been summoned to fight Orochimaru three years ago. However, Shizune-neechan had told him all about it, and how terrified she was of it. According to her, it was quite a battle. He had always been disappointed that he had missed it.

Now that he was in front of what would most likely escalate to a battle, he was thinking that Shizune-neechan had been right when she told him that he was being foolish for wanting to see a fight of that magnitude. If she thought that seeing three boss summons fight was frightening, then seeing _five_ boss summons fight would be…he couldn't think of a word that would do it justice.

Though they weren't launching blows at one another yet, Naruto knew that it was only a matter of time before they would start fighting. Of the five, the one that Naruto feared the most was Bahamut-sama. Naruto wasn't able to determine what the dragon summon's position on his question was, but if he was against it then Naruto was going to run.

Even though his aneue had assured him that Bahamut-sama wouldn't kill the innocent and followed a strict code of justice, he was still weary of him. After all, didn't he tell him that he 'could always find a reason to kill'?

'_**You should speak up now in order to calm them down. If they do come to blows, then I'm sure that you will be blamed for not stopping the fight when you could.'**_

'_No way! I'm not ready to die, not yet!'_

'_**If you let them fight, then there are bound to be injuries and you will be blamed. Do you really want every slug, monkey, toad, dragon, and phoenix that you meet in the Real World thirst for your blood?'**_

'_Eh, I guess you have a point there. I don't like it, but I will step in…'_

"Forgive my interruption, but I think it would be best if you all settled down!" Naruto shouted in order to be heard.

To his surprise, the boss summons stopped arguing with one another. Naruto thought that he would have had to shout for silence a few more times or even use a ninjutsu or two.

Bahamut let out a hearty laugh**. "Ha! I have yet to meet a ningen who had the guts to shout to one boss summon, let alone five! You have spirit boy!"**

"Arigato Bahamut-sama."

"**Now that we are settled down,"** Gamabunta stated, **"Why don't we get back to Naruto's request?"**

"**I don't like it,"** Enma stated bluntly.

"**And why is that?"** Katsuya responded.

"**Why should we allow the strongest of the Bijuu to become a boss summon? That would just be asking for Madara and Orochimaru to team up again and control the Kyuubi. I don't think we need to make unnecessary problems; we have enough of them already."**

"**Personally, I think that the Kyuubi should be allowed to become a boss summon,"** Gamabunta stated. **"Who are we to condemn someone for crimes that were not their fault?"**

"**The Summon Council,"** Enma tersely answered.

"**Gamabunta has a point,"** Katsuya stated. **"We have no right to deny the Kyuubi the chance to become a boss summon."**

"**Are you sure that you are making your decision based on logic and not emotion?"** questioned Enma.

"**I have to agree with Enma on this one," **Hikari stated**. "Allowing the Kyuubi to become a boss summon is just asking for trouble. We know that the perpetrators behind the Kyuubi's attack sixteen years ago are still alive; is it the wisest choice to give them another opportunity?"**

"If you will allow Kyuubi to become a boss summon, there will be differences that will prevent the actions from sixteen years ago from being repeated." Naruto stated.

"**Oh? And what would that be?"** Enma questioned.

"She would be a summon, and as such she would have to follow the rules for all summon creatures Enma-sama. By that I mean, if I so wished, then she would be dispersed back to the Spirit Realm. If Kyuubi encounters the same problem, then I will not hesitate to send her back to the Spirit Realm."

"**So you would save your world by sending your problem to ours?"** questioned Hikari.

"No. From what I understand, all human jutsus stop having an effect once they reach the Spirit Realm, correct?"

"**He is indeed correct,"** Katsuya stated**. "Human jutsus will not be sustained after the journey from one realm to another."**

"**Just let the ningen take the damn Trials already,"** an exasperated Bahamut stated.

"**I would have thought that you would be against this!"** Enma shouted**. "Do you realize the damage that could come from this?"**

"**Just because I haven't been out of the Spirit Realm for a while does not mean that I am senile tree-swinger. Besides, this ningen is obviously fighting for justice. And if he is to succeed against the forces that are against Konoha, then he will need all the power he can get. Even if he has the power of the Kyuubi, his chances of victory are not assured."**

"**So there are three for and two against?"** questioned Enma. **"Very well then. Naruto, you are eligible to take the trials in order to become the Kyuubi's temporary summoner in an attempt to establish the Kitsune as a summon clan. Do you accept?"**

Before Naruto could reply, Katsuya cut in. **"Before you say anything, you should know the rules and risks of taking the trials."**

"**Whatever damage you take in these trials will transfer to your physical body. Your wounds, if any, can not be healed on your spiritual body until the end of the trials. In addition, you will be cut off from the Kyuubi's chakra. That means no endless supply of chakra or an accelerated healing rate."**

"**Also, the Kyuubi will not be allowed to converse with you once the Trials start. Doing so would give you an unfair advantage; besides, we are here to test you, not the Kyuubi,"** said Katsuya.

"**If at anytime you wish to end the trials and return to your world, all you have to do is say so,"** Katsuya stated. **"Knowing the rules and risks, do you still wish to continue?"**

"Hai."

"**Very well, then. Unless there are any objections, I will be the first to test him,"** Gamabunta stated.

'_**Good luck otouto!'**_

'_Don't worry aneue. I'll pass all of these trials, and before you know it, the Kitsune clan will be a summoning clan!'_

'_**Fool, I'm more worried about your well-being than establishing the Kitsune clan!'**_

'_Like I said, don't worry about me. I'm sure I can pass this!'_

--

"Any new information from your spies?"

"Nah, I haven't heard anything recent. If I had to guess, I'd say that the villages are mustering their forces. I had a look at their mission acceptance rates, and they are far lower than the average. Something is definitely going on."

"Hmm…there's nothing we can do about that now though."

"I'm more worried about why Akatsuki agreed to the alliance though."

"What do you mean? They're after Naruto."

"No, they're after the Jinchuuriki. From my sources, there is one living in Iwa and one in Kumo. I think that they're planning on taking advantage of the attack to go and kidnap the Jinchuuriki while they're all distracted by another battle."

"Then why are they allied with Orochimaru? I don't think there are any Jinchuuriki in Oto," Tsunade questioned.

"There aren't. However, Orochimaru still has the ring that all Akatsuki members are required to wear."

"That seems like rather…fragile things to build an alliance on," Tsunade commented.

"They are. I'm willing to bet that Akatsuki will betray their 'allies'. They'll probably betray Orochimaru last; I'm sure that he's suspicious of their 'alliance.' He's probably hiding the ring that he kept when he left Akatsuki; he'll use it as a bargaining chip when he's pushed against the wall," Jiraiya said.

"What's the chance of the betrayals taking place before the invasion?"

"Unlikely. The leader of Akatsuki is smart; it'll be to their advantage if they keep them around until the last second."

"Kuso. Things just keep on getting worse and worse."

"Well, look on the bright side," Jiraiya said.

"Bright side? I don't see a bright side," Tsunade grumbled.

"If Naruto succeeds, which I think he will, then we'll have the power of the Kyuubi on our side," Jiraiya said with a mischievous grin covering his face.

--

Gamabunta stepped forward and motioned for Naruto to do the same. The other summons stepped back into the shadows.

"What is my test Gamabunta-sama?" questioned Naruto.

"**In the upcoming fights, do you still plan to summon members of the Toad clan in addition to the Kitsune clan?"**

"Hai. I have trained for three years with summoning toads; I know the strengths and weaknesses of your clan. It took me a while, but I finally learned several of the ninjutsu combination attacks that Jiraiya-sensei taught me."

'_Seems that the Gaki realized that he needs to be respectful in front of the other summons. I haven't heard him call Jiraiya anything other than "Ero-Sennin" in a while.'_

"**Very well then. In order to pass my test, you must summon three toads from the bottom tier, one from the middle tier, and two from the upper tier."**

Naruto blinked. His test seemed to be too easy. "Is that all?"

Gamabunta laughed. **"Hai. You only get one chance, so do it right."**

"But…it seems too easy," mused Naruto.

"**Did you already forget that you do not have access to the Kyuubi's chakra?"**

Naruto's eyes widened. _'Oh shit! I don't even know how much control I need-I've had to adjust my control because of aneue's chakra in my system, even if I wasn't accessing it!'_

'_Guess I'm just going to have to go for the lower tier first. Hopefully, that'll give me the time to figure out how much control I need.'_

Naruto bit his thumb and flashed through the seals for the Kuchiyose. He focused on his control as hard as he could and let out as much chakra as he used to make two Kage Bunshins before he slammed his hands on the ground. As the usual smoke cloud appeared, Naruto held his breathe; he hoped that he hadn't used too much chakra.

As the smoke cloud disappeared, Naruto's eyes widened_. 'H-how? How did he end up here? He's high up on the middle tier; there's no way I used that much chakra!'_

"Yo Naruto-niisan! What's up?" Gamakichi said as he waved at him.

Naruto could barely wave back before he dispelled him. _'How? There's no way he should have been summoned!'_

Gamabunta laughed. **"I can tell from your facial expression that you weren't planning on summoning my son, were you?" **Seeing Naruto shake his head, he continued. **"I guess you should think about what happened before you try summoning again."**

'_When I normally summon, I need to focus on control while I just give a minimal amount of chakra for the bottom tier. So I guess now I would need to have enough control that I would be able to walk up a waterfall and a lot less chakra now.'_

With that in mind, Naruto flashed through the seal again. Before he slammed his hand on the ground, he focused intensely on his control and only let enough chakra to summon half a Kage Bunshin. This time, when the smoke dispersed, there were three summons from the bottom tier. Among the three were Gamachibi, who cheerfully waved at him. Naruto smiled and waved back before he dispelled them.

'_So if enough chakra to make two Kage Bunshin was enough to summon Gamakichi, then I would probably need enough control to stand on a flowing river and enough chakra to summon…eh, about eight Kage Bunshin.'_

Naruto performed the seals for the last time and slammed his hands on the ground. Almost instantly, a smoke cloud far larger than the previous two had been appeared.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto smiled. _'I did it, I passed the first test! I'm not sure why summoning was so different.'_

Gamabunta nodded to the two upper tier level toads-both were almost as large as he was, but one carried a spiked club while the other carried a massive axe. The two toads gave the boss toad a nod in return before they disappeared.

"Gamabunta-sama, if you don't mind me asking, why was it so difficult for me to summon? I should have known that your test wouldn't be easy," grumbled Naruto.

"**I am not sure why, but I have a theory. Do you constantly have to focus on your chakra control when you are about to perform a jutsu of any type?"**

"Hai. Jiraiya-sensei said I had to compensate because I had Kyuubi's chakra in me, even if I wasn't accessing it."

"**I think that he was only partially correct. Foreign chakra is not meant to be housed in another living body. The natural chakra will attempt to repel the foreign chakra, even if the foreign chakra is just sitting there and not attempting to overwhelm the domestic chakra."**

"**In your case, ever since your birth, your chakra has been battling the Kyuubi's chakra, in an attempt to force it out of your body. Of course, no matter how much it tired, it would never be able to get rid of it due to the seal that the Yondaime Hokage used."**

"**As a result, your chakra reserves have been growing and getting stronger on a daily basis. When you were cut off from the Kyuubi's chakra, the chakra that you were using was all yours. Even if you aren't consciously tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra, you were still using a small amount of it, enough of it to disrupt your control."**

"**So when you used your own chakra, it was almost as if you were accessing your chakra for the very first time. Even though it is your own chakra, it felt foreign to you. During the Trial, did your chakra feel different than usual?"**

"Hai. It felt…I can't really describe it, but it felt different. It was almost as if I was using soldier pills."

"**That's what I thought. I think that you don't even know how strong your chakra is. As I said earlier, your chakra was constantly battling the Kyuubi's chakra even though you weren't accessing it. As a result, whenever you used your chakra it was 'tired'. So when the Kyuubi's presence was cut off, your chakra was fully 'rested'. As a result, your chakra was at full strength, a level that I doubt you have often felt."**

Naruto scratched his chin as he thought. "Hmm…I guess that makes sense."

"**Since you have finished your Trial, I would like to go next,"** Katsuya said as she crawled forward.

Gamabunta gave a nod to Naruto before he retreated back into the shadows.

'_I wonder what I'm going to have to do to pass her Trial. Maybe I have to break her into a thousand slugs with one jutsu…'_

--

"Explain to me why you agreed to this stupid alliance."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you should not be so rude to Orochimaru-sama? Disrespect will not be tolerated!" Kabuto scolded.

"Hmph. If he really cared about me being polite, then he would have done something about it years ago. I'm still waiting for an answer."

"Ku ku ku ku ku. Sasuke-kun, does it truly bother you so much that you will be forced to work alongside your aniki?"

The three Oto shinobi were alone in one of Orochimaur's hideout. They rarely trained in Oto; if they did show up there, it was just to show their faces or give orders. The ninjutsus that Sasuke learned were highly destructive; it wouldn't do to damage their own village.

Currently, all three were underground in one of Orochimaru's large rooms. It was dark, and only a single candle illuminated the room. There was just enough light to make out their faces.

"If I said yes, would you break off the alliance?"

"No."

"I'm still curious as to why you agreed to it. By myself, I'm stronger than any Konoha shinobi."

Kabuto shook his head with disbelief. After three years, Sasuke's arrogance was still going strong, and only growing. Even if he was defeated, he refused to believe that his noble Uchiha blood could be defeated.

Kabuto knew from records that the Uchiha were infamous for their arrogance, but Sasuke-sama's was even stronger than what the records had suggested. He had finally reached the conclusion that since the villagers and shinobi of Konoha praised everything he did (even if it was terrible) and handed him whatever he wanted on a silver platter, his arrogance grew to an unbelievable amount.

"Of course you are Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said gently. The fact that he was forced to make an alliance with Akatsuki and two other blundering villages had put him in a foul mood. If he had to deal with a brooding Sasuke-kun, then he might do something that he would regret.

"What's the battle plan?"

"Sasuke-sama, you shouldn't press Orochimaru-sama for such information! Information as vital as that should be kept secret for as long as possible!"

Sasuke glared at Kabuto before he returned his gaze to the Hebi-Sannin.

"You will tell me the battle plans. If I approve of them, then I will take part in the invasion."

"And if they aren't to your liking Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru questioned.

"Then I won't take part in the invasion."

Kabuto frowned. If Sasuke-sama did not have the Sharingan, then he would have killed him long ago. Orochimaru-sama deserved to be respected, not insulted.

Orochimaru just started laughing. "Ku ku ku ku! Your part in the invasion is not as important as you might think. However, I would love to see the faces of the Konoha shinobi when they realize that they have to fight against their 'precious Uchiha.' Very well, I'll tell you the plans that we have made…so far."

"Start talking. I don't want to waste my time listening to you when I could be training."

"As you know, the attack will take place in nine months. When the time is up, we will attack from the north. Iwa will attack from the north-west and Kumo will attack from the north-east. I'm sure that Akatsuki will circle around until they find a weak spot and then attack."

"It's seems to be a sound strategic plan, but why is Akatsuki the only group that will attack from an unknown location? Even the Hokage will realize that we will most likely attack from wherever our respective villages are."

"But it will be much easier for our armies to travel there. Besides, if a majority of the attacks take place on Konoha's northern front, then they will dedicate more shinobi to defend their northern wall. This gives openings for the Akatsuki to come in from the other sides, as well as several strike teams."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. That was a good plan…a very good plan, but he wouldn't admit it.

"One more question. Why do we have to wait nine months before we attack? Why not attack as soon as it takes us to muster the shinobi?"

"Sasuke-kun, Iwa and Kumo need more time to muster their shinobi, and they need more training. Even though they are among the established Hidden Villages, they are not ready for war. At least not yet. Also, the Akatsuki has a few…loose ends to tie up. But why complain? This just gives us more time to find more candidates to give a cursed seal to."

"Hmph. I'm going to go train," Sasuke said as he turned around and walked out.

"Oh Sasuke-kun? Just so you know, you may have to fight alongside Itachi-kun. If that happens, I expect you to be on your best behavior and work with him. I don't want you killing him…yet," Orochimaru stated.

As soon as Sasuke heard Orochimaru's words, he stopped. He slowly turned his head and faced Orochimaru. His Sharingan was activated and the three tomoes were rapidly spinning in a circle. The young Uchiha's killing intent and chakra levels rose dramatically.

"If he comes in my sight, I will kill him! The alliance can go to hell for all I care!"

Orochimaru had enough; Sasuke-kun had been getting away with far too much lately. It was time to remind him of his place. He raised his killing intent until it was far higher than Sasuke-kun's.

Sasuke froze with fear. As hard as he tried to will his body to move, it wouldn't budge a single inch. _'Kuso! It's just like that time in the Forest of Death!'_

"My dear Sasuke-kun, are you questioning my orders? Need I remind you who the strongest shinobi in this room is?"

After a minute of watching Sasuke tremble with fear, Orochimaru lowered his killing intent until it was just noticeable. "Have you had enough?" When he saw the Uchiha nod, he said, "Then go and train."

As soon as Sasuke walked out of the room, Orochimaru stopped projecting any killing intent.

"Orchimaru-sama, is it wise to keep him around? He is getting more and more arrogant and rebellious with each passing day. If we have to, we can just take his eyes out and transplant them into your body. His body isn't that impressive anyways; there are far more worthy candidates."

Orochimaru thought about Kabuto's suggesting for a moment. To be honest, he had been thinking of the same thing for quite a while. "No, that would put me at a disadvantage. I would be unable to deactivate the Sharingan, so it would constantly drain my chakra. I'd like to avoid that if it is possible."

Kabuto nodded in agreement. "Would you like to go and inspect the most recent candidates to receive the cursed seal?"

"That's a good idea. While we're at it, we can go and check on those that received it last week," Orochimaru said before he walked out of the room.

Kabuto blew out the candle and followed in Orochimaru-sama's footsteps.

If either one had stayed around longer or had the light illuminated more of the room, then they would have noticed that there was an additional occupant in the room.

As soon as the intruder was sure that the Oto shinobi weren't coming back, he left the room. Luckily, no one noticed the furry little visitor leave and head towards Wave country.

--

Naruto watched as Katsuya slowly crept forward into his view. He hadn't seen the Slug boss before; when Baachan had summoned her, he was unconscious.

However, he did know what Katsuya was capable of. During his training trip with Ero-sennin, he had hounded the Gama-Sannin for information about his teammate and ex-teammate's summons. The information that he had received was very enlightening.

From what he had heard from Ero-sennin, Naruto thought that the most dangerous ability of Katsuya's was the ability that allowed her to break into thousands of smaller slugs. Each slug was capable of independent thought, and they could form back into her larger form within a few seconds. Her acid wasn't anything to ignore though.

"**I'm afraid that my test isn't one that requires physical strength,"** Katsuya apologized in her gentle voice. **"Rather, it will test your heart."**

'_There goes my theory having to break her into a thousand slugs with one jutsu…'_

"Excuse my question Katsuya-sama, but how will you be testing my heart? And what do you mean by my heart?"

"**With a question Naruto-san."**

"Okay, ask away Katsuya-sama!" Naruto confidently stated.

"**You and one other person are fighting against an enemy in an isolated location; the enemy is an assassin and his target is my ally. The enemy is strong, very strong. No reinforcements will be arriving. In addition, you are unable to access the Kyuubi's chakra, meaning that you won't have a near infinite amount of chakra at your disposal or heal at an accelerated rate. Are you following me so far?"**

"Hai. An ally and I are fighting against a strong enemy, and reinforcements will not be arriving. My ally is the assassination target of the enemy. Oh, and I don't have access to Kyuubi's chakra."

"**Very good. Now, your ally is one Hyuuga Hinata and the enemy is Uchiha Sasuke."**

Naruto's breathe was caught in his throat. Of all the two people that could have been put into the question, she had to pick these two!

"**Now on to the next part. The Uchiha is holding Hinata-san by the throat and a Chidori is ready to be shoved into her stomach. If the attack connects, Hinata-san will not die instantly. However, she will bleed to death no matter what you do; you are too far away to bring her to a hospital and there are no iryo-nins near you to help her. It will be a very painful death."**

"**However, you **_**can**_** save her life…by killing the Uchiha. The Uchiha has his back to you; you have enough time to use a ninjutsu on him or slice his throat with a kunai. What will you do?"**

Naruto didn't know what to think. He didn't want to lose Hinata-chan ever. Especially not now, not when he had just realized how much she truly meant to him. Besides, she didn't deserve to be killed; she was far too kind, too gentle for her life to be snuffed out like that.

However, he didn't think that Sasuke deserved to die either. He was his best friend…no, his brother. He couldn't kill his brother even if he wanted to. Besides, Naruto knew that deep down, there was still some good in Sasuke.

But what would he do? Even though he knew that the situation was just hypothetical, he knew that it could happen. Maybe not with Hinata, but with any other Konoha shinobi. It was strange, but Katsuya's question sounded strangely familiar to him. Suddenly, it dawned on him and he mentally chuckled to himself.

'_Heh…guess Enma-sama was telling the truth-aneue and Katsuya must have been good friends before. After all, their questions were very similar.'_

His revelation didn't help him with Katsuya's trial. What to do? Kill the girl that he loved or the boy who just as well might be his brother? There was only one thing to do.

"I…I would do neither of the options!"

Katsuya was surprised. This was the boy that Tsunade favored? It seemed that he was nothing but a coward, unwilling to face the harsher side of the shinobi life. Behind her, she could hear the boss summons tense and shift uneasily in their spots.

"**Are you saying that you would just turn your back and run?"**

"No. I just said that I wouldn't choose either of your options."

"**Explain,"** Katsuya stated tersely.

A sad smile covered Naruto's face. "Katsuya-sama, I've never been very good at following the rules and doing what I'm supposed to do, so I would create a new option."

"**And that would be?"**

"I would use Kawarmi with Hinata-chan, so I would be in her spot and she in mine. As soon as I can, I would impale myself upon Sasuke's Chidori. I'd use one hand to break his arm with the Chidori. Then I would use my free hand to grasp the hand around my neck and break that arm too. Finally, I'd use my head to knock him out."

"**You wouldn't kill him?"** Katsuya asked.

"No."

"**You will die, and then the Uchiha will find someway to kill Hinata-san,"** warned Katsuya.

"I will die, that I am sure of. But no, Sasuke won't kill Hinata. He's unconscious, remember?"

"**Then when he regains consciousness, he will kill her. I doubt that Hinata-san will be able to kill him, even if it wasn't in cold blood."**

"You're right. She wouldn't be able to kill him. I'd tell her to disable all of his chakra points and then carry him back to Konoha for me."

"**She's not strong enough to carry both of you,"** Katsuya pointed out.

"I know. I'm already going to die, so why force her to carry me? You already said that we were too far away for help."

"**So you would force her to leave the person she loves behind?"**

Naruto was startled. '_How…how does she know that she loves me?'_

It took him a moment to regain his senses and gather his thoughts. "I would. I'm already dying, so there would be no point for her to stay with me."

"**You would die alone?"**

Naruto let loose a sad chuckle. "I grew up alone and by myself; being alone for a few more hours won't bother me."

"**Naruto-san, you seem to be a bit calm about your death,"** observed Katsuya.

"That would be because I am. I want to be the Hokage; how could I be a good Hokage if I'm not willing to give my life for the people that I care for? If I die protecting those that are precious to me, then I would do so willingly."

For a moment, silence reigned. Then Katsuya started to laugh. Her laughter angered Naruto; did she think that his idea was idiotic? Just before he could make a retort, she spoke.

"**Naruto-san, at the beginning of your rant I thought that you were going to run away! I can't believe that I thought that! Now, I can see why Tsunade favors you."**

Naruto just blinked in confusion. "Ano…does that mean that I pass?"

"**Yes Naruto-san, you pass. And you deserve it!" **she proudly stated.

Before he could celebrate though, Enma spoke up.

"**Then I will go next. Prepare yourself!"**

--

"Hokage-sama, we should plan for a preemptive strike! We need to hit them hard and fast!"

"Why bother when we know when they'll come to us? It would be way too troublesome to attack ahead of schedule. If we do that, then they would know that we know of their invasion and then they would change the schedule. Besides, if we just wait then we'll be able to train and prepare properly."

"That is a logical choice. If we properly prepare for the invasion, then we will have the opportunity to cripple their forces. Once their forces are crippled, then if we do launch an attack, it will be much easier to secure a victory."

The points just brought up started a fresh wave of arguments. Tsunade just sighed and put one hand over her face. Jiraiya frowned and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She glanced up from her seat and gave Jiraiya a slight smile.

The Village Council had been called in order to discuss what should be done next. Currently, they were in a conference room in one of the many rooms in the Hokage Tower. They were all seated at a rectangular table, with Tsunade at the head and Jiraiya standing right behind her.

At the last meeting, they were told of the coming invasion. Usually the Council met at the beginning of each month, but with the information that Naruto had given them, it was necessary to meet much more often.

The issue at hand was whether a preemptive strike should be launched or not. Much to Tsunade's surprise, Danzo wasn't the only one who wanted to launch a preemptive strike; several Clan Heads, Kohamru, Hoharu, and the civilian members supported him.

Most of the Clan Heads supporting Danzo weren't major clans, but their support gave Danzo more strength than he should have had.

Tsunade wasn't sure why her sensei's old teammates wanted to launch a preemptive strike; most of their moves were made to gain more political power. As far as she could tell, Tsunade didn't see how they could gain more power. The civilian members just wanted the fighting to take place far away from their homes and businesses. If it meant that more lives would be lost, that would be fine with them as long as they still made money.

The major Clan Heads though, were supporting Tsunade and her plan to wait for the enemy to come to them. It made sense that they were supporting her; after all, their clan members would be the ones who did the most fighting…and dying.

"Hokage-sama, I demand that you tell us how you came across this information!" Danzo shouted.

"From Jiraiya's spy network. How else would I have gotten word of the invasion?"

"Is the informant reliable?" questioned Koharu.

"Hai," Jiraiya responded. "I trust him with my life."

"What is his name?" Danzo pressed.

"For my informant's personal safety, I will not release the name," Jiraiya firmly stated.

Danzo narrowed his one good eye. Over the past year or so, he had made multiple deals with Orochimaru. In exchange for information, Orochimaru had created an alliance between them. During the invasion, Danzo and his Ne ANBU would join forces with the invading shinobi and kill any who resisted.

After the battle, Danzo would be instated as the Hokage. And that, would be the start of a new age for Konoha. No longer their shinobi be 'tree-huggers' or cowards. They would be ruthless and efficient killers.

The fact that one of Jiraiya's spies had knowledge of the invasion worried him. The Godaime Hokage even knew _when_ the invasion would take place, something that Orochimaru had refused to tell him until it was time to attack!

If the two loyal Sannin knew of the invasion, how much more did they know? Did they know that he was a traitor? Did they know that he had close to seventy shinobi in his Ne forces?

Before he could panic any further, he forced himself to calm down. It wouldn't do to give himself away; there was still a chance that they didn't know of his betrayal.

"How do you plan on preparing for the invasion?" questioned Yamanaka Inochi.

"I'm sending various teams with the most potential to go and train for two months. With enough training, they will be a force to be reckoned with."

"Hmmm…and by having multiple teams out of Konoha, it will give us an excuse to add more guards to the walls and our enemies will think we are doing it because we have less shinobi at home. An ingenious plan Hokage-sama," Shikaku said.

"Hokage-sama, can you tell us which teams you are sending out on the two-month training missions?" Chouza questioned.

Tsunade sighed. She couldn't hide the information that she was sending out the so called Rookie-Nine and Gai's team. She doubted that the Council would approve of a group mainly composed of Chuunin was getting 'special treatment'.

"Well…I can't tell you all the teams that are going, but I can tell you this: The 'Rookie Nine' and Gai's team will be going." Tsunade held her breathe and waited for the explosion about to erupt.

She wasn't surprised when she saw the Council members erupt into another argument. At least, the parents of those going on the trip weren't screaming for her blood. They seemed calm enough.

"Hokage-sama, I must object! Why are you sending such inexperienced shinobi on the training mission? The two months of training could make or break our defenses! Send some of my men!" 'Because it'll give me the chance to send a message to Orochimaru and tell him that the invasion is not a secret anymore.'

"I stand by my choices. And what do you mean by your men? If I remember correctly, your men would be the Ne ANBU forces. However, the Yondaime Hokage disbanded that group," Tsuande stated with narrowed eyes.

Danzo mentally screamed. After all this time, how could he have slipped now? "He did disband my forces. When I say 'my men', I'm just referring to the men who used to serve under me. They're still alive and performing missions for Konoha; it is simply a habit of mine to call them 'my men'."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow but she didn't argue her point. She was sure that he still had his Ne ANBU around.

"Hokage-sama, will you tell us why you decided to send those particular teams?" questioned Aburame Shibi.

"None of you can deny the fact that those teams are among the strongest that Konoha has seen in years. With more training, they will be strong enough to be Jounin. In fact, after they complete their training I will give them the choice to go on a mission to see if they are worthy of the rank of 'Jounin'," Tsunade explained.

"Jounin? That is rather…ambitious of you," Shibi stated. "Most shinobi are usually Chuunin for three to four years before they even consider being evaluated for the rank of Jounin."

"Unless they're a genius like that Neji-kid," Shikaku lazily stated.

Hyuuga Hiashi would have swelled with pride if he wasn't in front of the Council. "Hai. But Neji is an exception. He is the only Jounin from the 'Rookie Nine' and his team to reach the rank of Jounin while the others are all Chuunin I believe."

"Not quite Hiashi-sama, not quite," Homaru stated. "After all, the Demon is still a Gennin."

At the mention of Naruto, the atmosphere in the room seemed to darken, much to the displeasure of Tsunade and Jiraiya. It would seem that even after all these years, the hatred for Naruto still remained.

"The Demon is still a Gennin?" a civilian Council member asked. "I'm surprised that he was able to graduate from the Academy."

"We should have killed him when he was born," another civilian Council member spoke up.

"Hell, we should kill him now!"

Tsunade had finally heard enough and slammed her hands down on the table; she wasn't about to stand by and hear the Council talk about the person she thought of as a son like he was nothing more than a piece of garbage.

Jiraiya put his hand on Tsunade's shoulder; both in an attempt to keep her calm and keep her from jumping up and killing everyone who insulted Naruto. He was extremely close to attacking them himself though.

"Enough! Uzumaki Naruto is simply the container of the Kyuubi, not the Kyuubi itself!"

"We have yet to see proof of that," countered Danzo. "If you let me train him, then I'm sure that I'll be able to determine whether he is a demon or not."

Tsunade snorted. "Yeah right. Like you care. All you want is to make a weapon out of him!"

"He does have a point though. Hokage-sama, how can we be sure of where the Demon's allegiance lies?" questioned Koharu.

"First off, he is not a demon! His name is Uzumaki Naruto! If I hear any of you call him by anything other than his name, then you'll know what it feels like to fly," Tsunade threatened menacingly. "And what makes you think that his loyalty lies elsewhere?"

"He let Uchiha Sasuke leave!"

Tsunade turned to face the civilian Council member who spoke up. "Made him leave? Of course, how could I have forgotten? He gave the Uchiha Orochimaru's cursed seal, right? Kami-sama, how could you even think that he made the Uchiha leave? Anyone who spent time with him would know that he would sell out his own village for power!"

"Liar! He saved us all from the Shukaku during the Oto-Suna invasion three years ago!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade shared looks of disbelief before their faces hardened in anger.

"What the hell made you think that was him?" proclaimed an outraged Jiraiya. "Are you saying that you actually believe that a Genin was able to defeat Shukaku, the one-tailed Bijuu?"

"If it wasn't him, then who? He was the only one who had the power to save us all," a civilian Council member stated.

"It was Naruto who defeated Gaara!" Tsunade shouted. "Now, why would you think it was the Uchiha who defeated him? If the Chidori, his strongest attack, wasn't able to stop him when Gaara was in control, what made you think he would be able to defeat him when Shukaku was in control?"

"Hatake Kakashi told everybody that it was his prized pupil who defeated Shukaku," Chouza stated.

"I remember how all he did for a week was tell everyone who would listen how the Uchiha defeated Shukaku and because of that Konoha wasn't attacked by a Bijuu again. It was rather troublesome," Shikaku said.

Jiraiya and Tsunade were both stunned. They had known that Kakashi had favored the Uchiha and trained him exclusively, but to go as far as to lie to the whole village about who defeated Gaara? That was too far. Tsunade vowed that they would have a…talk about his behavior as soon as she could.

"It was definitely Naruto who defeated Shukaku and helped Gaara regain control of his body," Jiraiya firmly stated.

"Impossible! How the hell could the De…I mean Naruto," Homaru said, barely managing to catch his mistake of calling Naruto 'Demon', "defeat Shukaku?"

"He summoned Gamabunta to help him when Shukaku took control over Gaara's body," Jiraiya answered.

The Council was stunned. How could Gamabunta, the personal summon of Jiraiya and the Yondaime, lower himself by letting the very Demon that he had fought against years ago summon him?

"You lie! The Demon wouldn't save our village! He probably told the Shukaku to attack us!"

Jiraiya felt like shoving a Rasengan in the civilian's face. "Are you calling me a liar?!"

"Please calm down Jiraiya," Koharu stated. "Do you have any proof?"

"Do you?" Jiraiya retorted. "Besides the word of Hatake I mean. Anybody who was there?" When no one spoke up, Jiraiya spoke up. "Well, luckily _I_ do. Just ask Gaara who defeated him. Or I could summon Gamabunta and you could ask him yourself."

The Council members who didn't believe that Naruto had saved their village paled. The Toad boss's temper was legendary; it was rumored to rival that of the Godaime Hokage. Nobody, not even Danzo was willing to face that if they could help it. And the Kazekage was rumored to be friends with the demon brat.

Tsunade looked at the clock mounted on the wall. "The meeting is over. You all know that what has just been discussed is not to be disclosed to anyone outside of this room. Unless of course, the part about Naruto being the true victor over Shukaku."

Slowly, the Council walked out of the room and headed their own way. Tsunade stopped Jiraiya from leaving.

"Would it be possible for you to get a few toads to keep an eye on Danzo? I don't trust him; he might try to send a message to Orochimaru telling him that we know of the invasion."

"I could, but why should I? Just summon some of your slugs," Jiraiya whined.

"You know just as well as I do that your toads are better for spying than my slugs. If they needed to relay a message to me, it would take them much longer to get the word to me than it would take for a toad to get the message to you," hissed Tsunade.

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll do it okay? You might want to make sure that you have an ANBU squad ready in case we need to apprehend the messenger or him," warned Jiraiya.

"I'll get on it, you just summon the toads," grumbled Tsunade.

'_Naruto…I truly hope that you're okay. The Trials that you're taking sound dangerous. I don't know what I would do if I lost another precious person. Even though I never told you this, I think of you as my son…so stay safe,'_ thought Tsunade.

--

Naruto couldn't help but feel impressed as he saw the Monkey boss walk forward. Everything about him exuded power and confidence. His very walk seemed fitting of a king. Of course, it probably helped that Naruto could see Enma's rippling muscles beneath his fur.

"**Before we start, I have a question for you: What is the most important weapon a shinobi can possess?"**

Naruto barely had to think about his answer. Ero-sennin and aneue had drilled it into his head so many times that it was almost instinct to answer.

"The mind," he responded.

Enma blinked in surprise. He had thought that the boy in front of him would have said ninjutsu or muscle. The mind was the last thing that he thought would come out of the shinobi's mouth.

"**Would you mind telling me why you think it is the strongest?"**

"Well Enma-sama, the mind controls everything. Without the mind, one wouldn't be able to memorize the order of hand seals used for jutus or the proper stances for taijutus."

"But more importantly, a strong mind will keep a shinobi from losing their sanity. With a weak mind, shinobi will either go insane or break. Thus, a strong mind is the most necessary tool for a shinobi."

Enma was once again surprised. The blonde shinobi in front of him seemed to be radically different from the one that Sarutobi had described to him.

"**Very well. I must say that I agree with your opinion. Are you ready for your trial?"** Enma questioned.

"Hai."

"**Now then, my Trial will be like Katsuya's in the sense that it is just a question."**

"**You are an ANBU Captain and currently have seven ANBU members working under you. You were sent on a routine reconnaissance mission when you received that a nearby village will be attacked by a large force of Oto shinobi in two days. Knowing this, you send word for reinforcements, but it will take at least three days for them to arrive."**

"**The village is of no real importance; it's just a group of villagers barely able to produce enough food to survive. This village is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. There is only one trail that leads in and out of the valley."**

"**Knowing this background information, you must make a choice."**

"**Your first option is to stay put and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Once they arrive, all of you head towards the mountain and set up an ambush for the Oto shinobi. By taking out this small army, you will be dealing a major blow to Orochimaru. However, by choosing to wait for reinforcements to arrive, you are condemning the entire village to death."**

"**The second, and last option, is to command your squad to go to the village right away, forgoing reinforcements. You and your squad are able to reach the village one hour before the Oto shinobi. Evacuating the villagers is not an option; it would take far too long for them to leave. Therefore, you only option is to fight a hopeless battle; you have to hold them off for roughly a day until the reinforcements from Konoha arrive. By choosing this choice, you will be able to save a majority of the villagers, but you will be condemning you and your squad to an inevitable death; you may die during the attack or you may die from your injuries later."**

"**Which option do you pick?"**

Naruto thought about it for a moment. To be honest, the thought of dying scared him. If he died, then so would his dream of becoming Hokage. If he died, he would never get to eat at Ichirakus again. If he died, he would never get to see his friends again. But most importantly, if he died, he would never get to tell Hinata-chan how he truly felt about her. Was giving his life for the lives of nameless villagers worth it?

As he thought about his decision, he closed his eyes to imagine what the village would be like. It would probably be filled with farms and houses. There would be a river flowing through it. While the men worked in the field and the women took care of the house and babies, the children would run around barefoot having fun. Suddenly, he saw the Oto shinobi coming down the only trail leading in and out of the village.

The villagers would look up; the children looked excited to see new comers, but the adults looked frightened, for they would know that the Oto shinobi weren't here for fun. Suddenly, kunai started raining down from the sky. The children started screaming in terror while the men and women ran to protect the youth.

As soon as the first volley of kunai ended, those who could, rose to their feet and attempted helped the wounded to the relative safety of their houses. The Oto shinobi started to charge down the trail, overwhelmed by their bloodlust. All the men that could walk gathered their farming tools and stood in the entrances of their house, ready to give their lives for their families.

Naruto imagined what the fields looked like now. They were littered with the bodies of those that had died from the kunai volley. There were several parents lying lifeless over the body of their child. Their sacrifices weren't in vain though, for several children were helpless struggling to get free from the weight on top of them.

'_They weren't even shinobi, yet they would do the duty that I was afraid of doing. And to think that I want to be Hokage…how pitiful,' _he thought with tears in his eyes.

"I…I would take the second option," Naruto answered in a low voice.

"**Why?"** questioned Enma. _**'Maybe, just maybe Sarutobi wasn't being an optimistic fool when it came to this boy.'**_

"It is the right thing to do, and it is my duty as a Konoha shinobi to protect all Konoha shinobi, no matter the importance they have to Konoha."

Enma shook his head. **"It is not your duty to give your life for them. Besides, it's not only your life that you will be sacrificing, but those under your command. What type of leader will you be if you lead them to their death in a battle that will not harm Konoha?"**

"Did you know that it is my dream to become Hokage? A Hokage must be willing to give their life for any Konoha citizen, whether it is a shinobi or civilian. Therefore, it _would_ be my duty to die for these villagers."

"As for you second question, I wouldn't dare to make a decision of that caliber without first consulting my squad about it. I would give them the option to wait for reinforcements or follow me to death. Even if they all decided to stay, I would still go on to the village by myself."

Enma's eyes visibly widened. **"You would take on a small army of Oto shinobi by yourself?"**

"Hai Enma-sama, I would. I said I would die for the villagers, didn't I?"

Enma shook his head with disbelief. **"I can tell that you aren't lying. It's not often that one comes across a human that is so…self-sacrificing."**

Naruto chuckled. "I don't see why you're so surprised. The Sandaime gave his life to protect Konoha during the invasion three years ago. The Yondaime gave his life to seal Kyuubi within me. And to be honest, I think that fighting your former student and fighting the strongest of the Bijuu are far worse than fighting against an army."

"**I am still amazed that you are willing to face an entire army for people that you don't even know. Hell, they may even hate you for being the vessel of the Kyuubi!"**

Naruto closed his eyes and a sad smile crossed his face. "During my training trip with Jiraiya-sensei, I realized that no matter what I did, many will still hate me for holding Kyuubi. Even if I were to save their lives, they would still hate me."

Enma raised an eyebrow. **"I have to admit, I am not as naïve as Yondaime that I would believe that the villagers wouldn't hate you, but I think you are taking their hate a bit far. Many people would change their thoughts of you if you saved their life."**

"No they wouldn't," Naruto replied. "During the invasion three years ago, I saved the entire village from being attacked by Shukaku, who at the time had taken control of Gaara. But I could understand why nobody thanked me for that; no one was there besides my teammates. And Sasuke was the only one who was conscious."

"What I couldn't understand is why nobody thanked me when I saved them. I bet that you didn't know that I made Kage Bunshin to help defend the civilians, did you?"

Enma shook his head**. "No. I did not know that. At the time, I was busy fighting alongside Sarutobi."**

Naruto sighed. "I killed a lot of Suna and Oto shinobi…well, at least my Kage Bunshin did. One memory that I got from stands out in particular…I haven't been able to forget it, even after three years."

"One of my clones was running jumping from roof to roof in the financial district, looking for any civilians in danger. He found one pretty quickly; it was a young couple, and they were surrounded by two Oto shinobi and one Suna shinobi. It was pretty easy to kill them because they were distracted; all it took were three kunai thrown straight at their heads. After they were killed, my Kage Bunshin jumped down to make sure that the couple was alright."

"Instead of thanking me, they just glared at me. After mumbling something about the 'demon', they threw rocks at me. I'm sure that they were planning on killing me or something, but since it was a Kage Bunshin, it just got dispelled."

Despite Naruto's attempts, tears started to trickle out from underneath his eyelids. "All this time…and I still remember the looks on their face…"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling of the room that they were in. "When I found out that I was the jinchuuriki of Kyuubi, I told myself that I would win the respect of the villagers one day. I figured that if I became Hokage and protected everyone, then they would stop hating me."

"I realized how foolish that was during the invasion. The incident I described wasn't the only one; it was just the most painful one. The others didn't go as far as to hurt me, but they did run away from me and call me names."

Naruto looked down from the ceiling and directed his gaze towards Enma. The Monkey Boss was surprised by how moved he was by the boy's eyes; they seemed to be full of pain and sorrow.

"As I already told you, I realized that I would always be hated. But…if being hated means that those who hated me would still be alive…then I am willing to be hated for as long as I live."

"**You have gone through so much, yet you still want to protect the villagers…it makes no sense,"** admitted Enma. _**'Well Sarutobi, it would seem that you were right and I was wrong. Naruto-san holds no hatred towards those who have harmed him. I know that if I were in his position, I would have killed those who hated me long ago.'**_

"Like I said, I would willing fight an army and die for them. For my precious people, I would face shinobi armies from multiple armies and Akatsuki."

Enma scratched his chin in thought. The boy's wording regarding his precious people were…different. Who would use an example like that? Suddenly, it dawned upon him.

"**Are you hinting at something that will come in the near future?"** questioned Enma.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't plan on anything as drastic as that, because I doubt that I would be able to kill many of them. However, if I had to do it in order to buy time for them to escape or prepare further defenses, then I would do it in a heartbeat."

"**You…you are an amazing person, you know that?"**

Naruto just shrugged. "I would do what anybody would do. It is the right thing to do after all."

Enma shook his head. **"No, not many people would do it. They would know that it is the right thing to do, but their fear would take over and they would run. But you, you wouldn't run or take the coward's way out. And for that, you pass."**

Naruto couldn't help but smile. For some reason, the fact that he earned Enma's respect made him feel great.

Enma smiled at the young blonde shinobi. **"I know that if Sarutobi was here, he would be very proud of you Naruto-san."**

Naruto smile widened. It felt good that someone that was extremely close to his "Ojiisan" would tell him that.

"**Now that this Trial is over, I will administer the next,"** Hikari stated.

Enma gave a slight nod to Naruto before he turned and walked back to the shadows.

'_**Sarutobi…if only you could see how bright the "Will of the Fire" has gotten in him. Now, if only those who hate him could see it…'**_

--

"Kaachan?"

"Hmm?"

"When will Naruto-niisan be back?"

"I don't know Inari-kun. He said that he would be done in a day or so," Tsunami asked.

Tsunami sighed; Inari had been just short of having a panic attack ever since he saw her come home with a bag of medical supplies. Being naturally curious, he asked her why she had decided to go buy more medical supplies when they had more than enough.

When he found out that they were for his "aniki", he had started to worry. After all, he knew how strong Naruto-niisan was, and if he had to ask for help, then he must be doing something extremely dangerous.

Tazuna had to physically restrain Inari from charging into the forest in order to find the Konoha shinobi and help him with his trusty crossbow. Both his mother and his grandfather had to convince him that Naruto was strong enough to take care of himself. Inari had resigned himself to sulking around the house, similar to what he used to do before The Great Naruto Bridge was built.

"Is he still moping around?" questioned Tazuna as he walked in the house.

"Hai," responded Tsunami. "I think that the only thing that will snap him out of it is Naruto's safe return."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I knew that he admired the kid but this? This is bordering on _obsession_."

Tsunami smiled and started laughing. "I know what you mean. In fact, one of his teachers came to me and told me the same thing. It seems that whenever they have to write a paper, Inari-kun always seems to drag Naruto into it somehow. It's the same with all of the other students I hear."

Tazuna started laughing and reached for his saki bottle hanging on his waste. "Hah! Now that is funny! How many papers do you think that the teachers get about Naruto? The teachers must have been furious, being forced to go complain to every parent about their kids writing about Naruto!"

"Well, that's the thing. The teachers aren't complaining about the students' habit of writing about Naruto, they're _encouraging_ it!"

Tazuna just stared at his daughter. "What? Just because he has a bridge named after him? Damn it woman, think of how popular I would be if you had let me name it, 'The Super Awesome Bridge That Tazuna Made?' Why is that gaki so popular?"

Tsunami whacked her father on the head. "Otousan! What have I told you about your language? Besides, it isn't because the bridge is named after him that people flock to him. It's because he's courageous, caring, and strong at the same time."

Tazuna rubbed his head in an attempt to quell the rising bump on his head. "When I walked into the store to buy my saki, I heard a few girls talking about how they were in love with 'Naruto-sama.' Pretty ridiculous if you ask me; I mean, they haven't even met the gaki and they claim to be in love with him."

Tsunami grinned; she loved to see her father get angry when he was jealous, and she was about to make him more jealous than he had ever been in his life. "Well, it's probably not just those girls. When I was talking with my friends the other day, the unmarried ones were grilling me for everything that I knew about him. When I asked them why they were so interested, they started talking about how they wanted to get to know him a bit better. Even my friends that were married were lamenting the fact that they were married and that their husbands weren't more like Naruto!"

Tazuna's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean that Naruto has older girls falling for him?!"

Tsunami giggled. "Not only that, but as I was walking through the market today, I overheard almost every girl talking about how wonderful Naruto is. If you ask me, I think that Naruto has captured the hearts of every female in our village."

The old man had to sit down in his favorite chair. "Damn him! What's he got that I don't?"

"Well, he has an image of being a bit…exotic considering the fact that he is a shinobi. But more importantly, he doesn't think that he's better than the rest of us 'commoners'; he talks to everyone equally and he has a big heart. The fact that he's really good looking doesn't hurt either."

"Damn that brat! Remember how he used to be short and annoying? I can't believe how much he's changed," Tazuna remarked.

"Hai, he has changed a lot. I just hope that he doesn't get too injured doing whatever it is he's doing. If he comes back severely injured, then it would break Inari's spirit."

"Better not let any of the female population of our village find out that he's injured," warned Tazuna. "If they do, then our house will be flooded with gifts, flowers, and get-well cards."

Tsunami paled, thinking about what a mess her house would be if all those people came to visit their 'Naruto-sama.' "I hope he comes back at night…"

Now it was Tazuna's turn to laugh. "Hah! Knowing him, he'll come back in the middle of the day and walk through town, just to make an entrance!"

--

Hikari flew out of the shadows without making a single noise. Naruto didn't understand how she was able to fly without making a single noise; even the smallest of birds made noise when flying.

"**Naruto-san, are you ready?"**

"Hai."

"**Brace yourself."**

'_This is going to be hard…I don't know what her fighting style is. I'll start out with taijutsu, then I'll move to ninjutsu.'_

Naruto eased himself into a basic 'ready' stance; from this position, he could easily switch into an offensive or defensive position.

Hikari blinked in surprise before she started laughing. Her laughter soothed Naruto's raging nerves and washed away his tension, leaving no anxiety in him.

'_Hikari-sama's laughter is like Hinata-chan's laugh,'_ Naruto thought as he recalled one of the few times he had heard her laugh. He realized that she didn't laugh very often; he silently decided to do whatever he had to do in order to hear her laugh more often.

"**Naruto-san, I think you misunderstood my words. I meant to mentally brace yourself."**

"Hikari-sama, I don't understand," admitted Naruto.

"**I will be going through your memories; you may feel some discomfort."**

"What?! Why?!" Naruto proclaimed.

"**In order to make sure that you are walking upon the path of justice. I will not allow anyone to have the power to summon the Kitsune clan if they have any dishonest intentions,"** explained Hikari.

"I swear that I will not abuse that power!"

Hikari stared at Naruto with hard eyes. **"Then why do you refuse to let me see your memories? If you have nothing to hide, then you shouldn't have any reason to refuse me entrance."**

"Because they're mine! They're private!"

"**I swear upon the honor of the Phoenix clan that I will keep the content of your memories to myself. Neither the other Council members, their clans, or even my own clan will know of what I see; I will just tell them whether you pass or not."**

"No," Naruto stubbornly replied while he crossed his arms.

"**Why?" **Hikari pressed.

"Because…they're the only thing I have that I can claim that are completely mine! They're what make me unique! I will not let anyone else see them!"

Hikari's eyes softened with understanding. It was only natural for people to be protective when it came to their memories. For an orphan who didn't have anything else that could be claimed as something unique to him, she was asking quite a bit from him.

"**Naruto-san, I understand your trepidation, but I promise you that I will be as brief as possible. It shouldn't take more than five minutes. You won't feel a thing."**

"Will…will I be reliving the memories as you view them, or will I be unconscious?"

Hikari's eyes widened in surprise. From the information that she had gathered from the young shinobi beforehand, she thought that he would be a bit dense. Her opinion had changed as she watched him go through the other Trials, as she realized that he wasn't as dumb as he led others to believe. His current question however, surprised her.

"**It can be done either way, but the few times that I have used my…ability, the one being tested usually prefers to be unconscious. You see, it saves them from having to go through the memories that I choose to pick. If you are conscious, it will seem as if you are reliving those events. By that, I mean that every emotion you felt you will feel again, you will feel the pain of every wound that you received. However, it is your choice."**

"I…I want to relive every memory."

"**Very well. Brace yourself!"**

With a thud, Naruto's body fell to the ground. Hikari had positioned herself before she started her Trial so she would lean against a wall when she started to view Naruto's memories.

For a few movements, neither moved. Then, Naruto started to groan and his eyes flickered open. With a grunt, he managed to heave himself up onto his feet. He quickly wiped at his eyes, in an attempt to get rid of the tears that had formed; viewing a few of the darkest moments from his childhood had shaken him more than he wanted to admit.

Hikari noticed what Naruto was doing and kept her eyes closed in order to give him some privacy. After a few moments, she pushed herself off of the wall and managed to stand up on her two shaky feet. Her eyes were filled with compassion.

"**Naruto-san…I am proud to say that you pass my Trial. Even from just viewing a few of your memories, I know that you have walked upon the path of justice your entire life."**

That being said, she turned around and flew into the shadows. Her flight was not as graceful as it was when she had left the shadows however. It reminded Naruto of the many times that he had seen Ero-sennin trying to walk after he visited a bar.

Bahamut's eyes narrowed as he saw Hikari's ragged flying. _**'Hmm…for her to fly in such an unsightly manner means that something she saw really shook her up. He must not have any bad intentions, or she wouldn't have passed him…oh well, time to see how well he will do against me!'**_

Naruto smiled; he was just one step away from completing the Trials. However, he was a bit anxious; Kyuubi had told him that at least one of his Trials would involve a physical fight, and he hadn't had that one yet, so it had to be next.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a presence behind him. He turned around and came face to face with Bahamut. It took all of Naruto's willpower to keep himself from running away. Instead, he held his ground.

"**Hah! You got guts ningen, I like seeing that in my opponents…especially when I get to eat those guts!"**

Naruto paled. Even though his aneue had reassured him that Bahamut-sama wasn't bloodthirsty, he couldn't help but be intimidated. He wasn't looking forward to this Trial one bit.

--

Hinata put the scroll down and wearily rubbed her eyes. She had just finished memorizing the scroll that Yamato-sensei had given them on the location and results of pressure points. With a small sigh, she sat back and recalled everything that she had done during today's training.

After she had hit Kiba-kun's pressure point, she went into the house and grabbed a quick breakfast. After eating, she headed towards her room and proceeded to memorize the scroll. The scroll was surprisingly hard to memorize because in addition to just hitting the pressure points, there were several that could be hit in conjunction in order to have different results.

After an hour of studying the scroll, she decided that she needed to take a break from the scroll. She went outside, found an isolated clearing and started to practice her Jyuuken. Her goal was to be able to defeat Neji-niisan in a one-on-one fight.

When Kurenai-sensei woke up around ten a.m., she was furious that no one had bothered to wake her up. Yamato-sensei had managed to calm her down by reasoning that her child could be harmed if she did not get enough rest.

She continued training in her family's taijutsu style until she stopped for lunch. After she ate, she resumed studying the scroll. It had been drilled into her not to train right after eating; if she did, then she would almost surely lose the contents of her meal.

Shortly after, Kurenai-sensei gathered the three of them in order to review the team formations that they had learned over the years. They moved from formation to formation until they were able to make the transitions with little or no flaws. Once that was complete, Yamato-sensei took over and told her sensei to go rest in the shade of a tree.

For his second lesson, he decided to teach them more formations; however, this time instead of reconnaissance formations, these were battle formations. Yamato-sensei had created the formations last night after he had gathered sufficient information on their skills. Some of them needed minor tweaks, but once those were made, they worked perfectly.

After they perfected them, it was around five p.m. Yamato-sensei decided to give them two hours for dinner and to rest before they would meet up again. She had told Kiba-kun that it would be better for her if they met instead of having him pick her up. He had told her to meet him at the riverbank at five-thirty.

She decided to use the time before her date in order to finish memorizing the scroll. It took her a few self-tests before she was able to get them all correct.

Now, it was time for her date. She got up and walked out of her room and headed towards the riverbank. She hoped that Kiba-kun wouldn't mind her training attire; after all, they were on a training mission and it wouldn't be practical to carry fancy clothes with her.

Kiba carefully laid out the food that he had bought back in Konoha on a picnic blanket. Akamaru sat obediently by his side. He reached out and patted his faithful ninken on the head.

"Akamaru, tonight is the night that Hinata-chan officially becomes my girlfriend!" he stated with confidence in his every word.

Akamaru gave a concerned bark.

"I'll take care of it. After tonight's date and Hinata-chan sees how great I am, she'll never even think about Naruto again. She'll make a great mate, don't you think?"

The large dog just moaned pitifully. Kiba reached out and scratched behind Akamaru's ears.

"Don't worry about her taking your spot, that'll never happen! You will always be my right-hand man…errr dog, you hear? And besides, once she's my mate that makes her _your_ mate too. We'll share her okay?"

Hearing his master's statement confused the dog. Share? What did he mean? Akamaru tilted his head in confusion and let out a confused bark.

"Eh, I'll have her cook for you and all that. After all, I am the alpha male. That means that I can get her to do whatever I want her to do. I only have to act all goody-goody and be Prince Charming until I can claim her."

Akamaru gave an excited bark. Having someone cook for him was always good, especially if that someone cooked as well as Hinata did; sometimes, she would give him her leftovers, and they tasted good. Furthermore, she knew where the best spots to scratch him were at.

Kiba leaned forward, getting closer to Akamaru's ear and whispered, "Once I claim Hinata-chan as mine, I'm sure that I can convince her into having a threesome between us. You can stay as you are now or you can use Juujuin no Jutsu. And if she refuses, then I'll just order her to; I mean, the alpha male can force the females to do whatever he wants them to do."

Akamaru almost died from excitement as he heard his master's statement. To be able to share his master's future mate in such a way was the best gift he could ever get. Happily, he jumped on his master, knocking him on his back and started to vigorously lick his face. Silently, he pledged his eternal loyalty to his master.

Kiba started laughing. He couldn't believe how happy Akamaru was. The offer he had just made wasn't just for Akamaru; he had always wanted to try a threesome like that. Besides, it would be great to use a ninken to break the will of any female…not that Hinata-chan was very dominant in any way.

He guessed that her submissive attitude was one of her attributes that attracted him to her. Kiba was constantly thinking of all the lecherous acts that he could force her to do. It made him hard just thinking about them.

In the distance, he heard footsteps coming towards him. He turned to face the direction of the footsteps and took a sniff. Kiba smiled as he recognized the scent of lavenders; it could only be Hinata-chan.

After a few seconds, she came into view. Even though she was only wearing her regular outfit, Kiba was still amazed at her beauty. Everything about her was perfect-he beautiful silk smooth hair, her amazing legs, and most of all, her giant breasts.

"H-hello K-kiba-kun," Hinata said. Looking over the food that Kiba-kun had laid out on the blanket, she couldn't help but be impressed. The food must have been expensive, if the steaks that in front of her were of any indication.

"Hi Hinata-chan. I hope you're hungry, because even as hungry as Akamaru and I are, I don't think we can finish all this food unless you help us!"

Hinata just smiled at her teammate's statement. She knew that Kiba could finish all of the food in front of them by himself, not to mention if he had Akamaru with him. The two could eat more than anyone she had ever seen eat, except for the Akamichi. '_And Naruto-san,'_ a small voice in her head said.

She shook her head to clear it of all those thoughts; she had to stop thinking of Naruto-san like a pitiful fan-girl. He was out of her reach now that he was with Sakura-san. It wouldn't do to think of him all the time anymore, especially not when she was on a date with Kiba-kun.

"Hai, I am v-v-very hungry. Today's t-t-training was v-v-very tiring."

"Yup. There's so much to memorize," Kiba said as he handed Hinata a plate of food.

Hinata took the plate and started to eat some of the rice that was next to the vegetables and steak. After she swallowed the small bite of rice, she stated, "Ano…if y-you n-n-need some help w-w-with memorizing the p-p-pressure points, I could h-h-help you. I just f-f-finished m-m-memorizing them."

Kiba thought about it for a second. If he said yes, then he would be able to spend more time with Hinata-chan, but that would mean that he would actually have to work because he knew that she would make him learn them. If he said no, then he wouldn't be able to spend that extra time with her.

'_What am I thinking? I don't need to go to a study group in order to spend more time with Hinata-chan! After we're an official couple, then instead of studying, we'll just go on dates!'_

"No thanks Hinata-chan. I don't really need to memorize the pressure points."

Hinata frowned. She knew that he hated learning anything out of a scroll or a book, but he had never gone as far as to disobey a direct order. "Ano…I don't t-t-think that would b-b-be a v-v-very good i-idea," she admitted.

"Why not?"

"It was a direct o-o-order from Yamato-sensei. B-b-besides, it may be v-v-very helpful to know h-how to render an opponent unconscious i-i-instead of dealing a k-k-k-k-killing blow."

Hinata was not so naïve to believe that she would be able to be a kunoichi and never take a life, but that didn't mean she liked it. During fights, she would always try to reason with her opponent before fighting. If that failed, then she would always try to stop the fight as quickly as possible before anyone got hurt by immobilizing her opponent. Dealing a killing blow was the last thing she wanted to do.

Kiba on the other hand, had no qualms about killing. In fact, he seemed to favor killing his opponents rather than knocking them out. He wasn't a blood-thirsty maniac or anything like that. It was just easier for him to extend his claws and slice his opponent's throat than to knock someone unconscious. Adding the fact that he always had to prove that he was the alpha-male made Kiba a rather vicious fighter.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, doesn't really matter. I mean, as an Inuzuka I go for the killing blows. Inuzukas have claws and brute strength for a reason, which is killing," reasoned Kiba.

Hinata's frown deepened. "Well, i-i-if you're s-s-sure…"

"Come on, enough talk about training. We just spent an entire day of training and still have a few more hours before we're done for the day. Let's talk about something else, okay?"

"H-hai," she answered before she took another bite of her food.

Kiba tried to make some small talk with Hinata, but all of his attempts yielded few results. She would answer his questions, but she seemed to be deep in thought about something. Seeing as he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to sit back and enjoy the food and the presence of his future girlfriend.

The taste of the food didn't really register in Hinata's brain. She was sure it was good if its appearance was any indication, but she was busy thinking about what she was doing. Even after all the mental debates she had with herself regarding Naruto-san, she was still confused.

'_Naruto-san has found someone else to be with, and so should you,'_ reasoned one voice in her mind.

Another voice in her mind spoke up. _'But Sakura-san doesn't love him nearly as much as you do.'_

'_That may be true, but Naruto-san cares for Sakura-san more than anyone else in the world. There's no way that you have a chance of getting together with him now,'_ thought the first voice.

Hinata had to agree with the first voice so far. If she was truly honest with herself, then she knew that this voice of her was right. The second voice was the one she wished was right, but deep down, she knew that it wasn't right. It would have been nice, but Hinata couldn't afford to chase after impossible dreams anymore.

'_You should still confront him,'_ urged the second voice. _'You saw them kiss once! That doesn't mean that they are a couple now! If you do not have the courage to tell him that you love him, then at least tell him that you would like to date him!'_

'_Ha! That would be the worst thing to do! Naruto-san would hate you for trying to break apart his perfect relationship! Just date Kiba-kun! He's strong and it's obvious that he likes you, so what are you waiting for? You don't have to woo him over or anything!'_

Hinata found herself starting to agree even more with the first voice. By ignoring Kiba-kun, wasn't she doing the same thing that Naruto-san had done to her? Besides, she knew how much it hurt to be ignored by the person one admired. Maybe having Kiba-kun as a boyfriend was all she needed. Maybe…just maybe, it would dull the pain that was eating away at her heart.

'_I can tell that you think that you will never be in a relationship with Naruto-san,'_ admitted the second voice. _'However, are you sure that you want to date Kiba-kun? You aren't trying to drown your sorrow by dating someone else are you?'_

Hinata opened her mouth to answer, but before she could the second voice interrupted her. _'No, don't answer it now. Take your time and think of your answer. If you aren't using Kiba-kun as a means to escape your sorrow, then by all means, become his girlfriend. If you find that you are using him to leave behind your sorrow, then…well, just don't do anything you would regret later on.'_

"Hinata-chan?"

Kiba's voice shook Hinata from her mental debate.

"Hai?"

"This is nice, isn't it?"

"Hmm? Hai, it is nice. The trees are so beautiful out here."

"Trees? Ya, they're really something huh? Anyways, I was wondering…well, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Hinata froze as she heard Kiba-kun's question. Her most recent mental debate came to mind, and the last question that the second voice had given to her resonated in her head. _'You aren't trying to drown your sorrow by dating someone else are you?'_

Was she trying to drown her sorrow? She knew that some people used alcohol to escape the harsh realities of life, but could the same be said of relationships?

"Hinata-chan?"

With a deep breathe, Hinata steadied herself and prepared to give an answer. It would be one of the biggest decisions that she had ever made in her life.

"H-hai. I would like to b-b-become your g-g-girlfriend," she answered.

Kiba's face lit up. "Really? That's great!"

Suddenly, the two heard a whistle, the signal that their dinner break was over.

"Lousy timing, eh Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked. Hinata just gave him a slight smile and nodded.

The two walked towards the house that Yamato had built for them to use, ready to start their next training exercise.

'_Am…am I doing the right thing?'_ wondered Hinata. _'I…I think I am. It feels nice to be wanted by someone...For once…for once, I think I did do the right thing.'_

Looking back in retrospect, Hinata would realize that it was not the right thing. In fact, it would be one of the worst things that she had done…with the worst only to come.

--

"**The final Trial that you have to pass will be the hardest yet,"** warned Bahamut. **"My Trial is unlike the other Trials that you have passed. Are you sure that you want to proceed?"**

"Hai Bahamut-sama."

"**Very well then. In order to pass my Trial, you must break one of my incisors,"** the dragon stated as he opened his mouth to reveal his teeth.

Naruto paled. The incisors were the largest of the dragon's teeth; they were easily the length of his entire arm. He stood there for a few moments, thinking of ways to break Bahamut's incisor. Suddenly, he was flying across the room and hit a wall. As he hit the wall, the breath was knocked out of him for several seconds.

As he struggled to regain his breath, Naruto tried to figure out what had just happened. He looked over to where he was standing just moments ago and saw Bahamut standing there; his tail swished back and forth ever so slightly from side to side.

'_Bahamut-sama must have hit me with his tail. But why couldn't I see his movements? A summon the size of him shouldn't be able to move without me seeing it.'_

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. The giant dragon was no longer occupying the spot that he was just at. Suddenly, Naruto remembered his aneue's words regarding the dragon boss-_**'He can fly much faster than you would think someone of his size can fly'**_

With that in mind, Naruto pumped his some of his charka to his feet and pushed off of the ground. As he was in the air, he managed to catch a glimpse of Bahamut. From his vantage point, all he managed to see was a black streak flash by where he was just standing moments ago.

'_Heh, managed to avoid his attack. Guess he's not as fast as aneue said he was.'_ As he finished that thought, Naruto started to fall back towards the spot he had launched himself from.

'_Guess it's a good thing that I used chakra in that jump, otherwise I would have been sliced into pieces. Now, if I used Rasengan, would it be strong enough to break his-Aaarrrghh!'_

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when an unbelievable amount of pain made itself known to him. As soon as he landed, he dropped down to his knees and clutched his stomach with his hands. He immediately felt something warm and sticky-his blood.

After taking a few deep breathes to steady himself, he moved his hands from his stomach in order to see the extent of his wound. His eye's widened in shock as he saw the extent of the damage.

There was a single bloody slash leading from his right hip to his left shoulder. The slash was at least four inches wide. Blood was gushing out of his wound. It was then that Naruto remembered that he couldn't count on his aneue to heal his wounds.

'_Kuso! I should have kept some of my bandages instead of giving them all to Tsunami!'_ Naruto thought angrily. He gently removed his shirt before he grabbed a kunai and cut his shirt into several log strips. He grabbed them and wrapped them around his wound.

As he was placing his make-shift bandages on, he noticed that his entire stomach was basically one giant bruise.

'_It must've been from his tail,'_ mused Naruto. _'Guess I'm not as fast as I thought I was…'_

"**Is that all you have? Have you not the courage to attack me? I would have thought that you would at least try to break one of my incisors,"** Bahamut taunted.

Naruto followed the sound of his voice and attempted to pinpoint where the dragon boss was. "So says the one hiding in the shadows. If you stepped into the light where I could see you, then breaking an incisor would be no problem," he retaliated.

After every attack, Bahamut had retreated to the shadows. It was a very effective tactic; most shinobi relied too much on their sight when they were fighting.

"**Bah. Do you honestly believe that you will be able to relay on your sight all the time? What if your opponent was to use Kirigakure no Jutsu? You would be in the same situation,"** Bahamut shot back before he stepped into Naruto's view.

"Touché Bahamut-sama, touché. But I would have an easier time making out their form in the mist than in this darkness."

"**Not if you are too badly wounded to move,"** the summon countered. **"And I thought you were a good fighter. I guess I was wrong; I mean, you haven't even managed to scratch me, while I bruised you **_**and**_** drew first blood."**

"That's because you cheated! You never said when we would start the fight!"

Bahamut snorted and a puff of smoke was released from his nostrils. **"Cheated?! Are you a samurai or a shinobi? Samurai worry about honor on the battlefield, not shinobi! Shinobi are supposed to take every advantage that they can get! Besides, will your enemies tell you when they're going to attack you?"**

Naruto thought over the summon's words carefully. He supposed Bahamut-sama was right, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"Why haven't you attacked me? You had a perfect opportunity to defeat me while I was putting on my bandages," questioned Naruto.

"**I don't attack my opponents while they are down or on their knees. It goes against my code,"** answered Bahamut.

"And you lectured _me_ about having honor and cheating on the battlefield? I hope you will excuse me, Bahamut-sama, but are you a walking hypocrite?" questioned an outraged Naruto.

"**Foolish ningen, this is different,"** the dragon answered**. "If I was fighting against an opponent who committed heinous crimes, then I would kill without hesitation, even if that opponent was on the ground, groveling for mercy!"**

"**However, in your case I chose not to attack while you were down because from what I have heard from the others, you fight with honor. However, this doesn't mean that I would go as far as to tell my opponent when I am about to attack,"** Bahamut finished.

Naruto frowned in frustration. If Bahamut-sama's words were true, then the only reason that Naruto was able to bandage his wound was because he was on his knees. _'Huh, I'm pretty pathetic right now…gotta figure out how to break that incisor!'_

The young shinobi took a deep breathe before he jumped to his feet. As soon as he got to his feet, Bahamut retreated into the shadows. Naruto sighed in frustration as he lost sight of the giant dragon.

'_This is a problem…I haven't really worked on training my other senses to help me in a fight if I can't see my opponent. Hearing is out because he's way too quiet when he moves. My nose isn't strong enough to smell him. I can't taste or touch him either. Guess I have to make a way to get him to be visible.'_

Naruto toyed with the idea of pushing charka to his eyes in order to improve his eyesight, but he quickly pushed that idea away. That was one of the first lessons that he had learned from Ero-sennin during his three year training trip. The Gama Sennin had constantly stressed the idea of not pushing charka to his eyes, ears, nose, or tongue in an attempt to improve their effectiveness.

Other shinobi were able to do that with success, but not Naruto. At least, not with the level of charka control that he had. While his control had improved dramatically, it still wasn't enough to be considered safe to use on those vital parts of his body. If he pushed too much charka to a body part, then that body part would either explode from charka overload or be damaged beyond repair.

Seeing as reinforcing his eyes with his charka was out of the question, Naruto started to think of the seals he knew. The only seal that could help was one that would light up the entire room, but considering the size of the cavern and the complexity of the seal itself, he didn't have time to set it up. If he was going to draw that seal, then he would be unable to dodge or attack; unless of course, he was on his knees while he was drawing.

Naruto frowned. He didn't want to take advantage of Bahamut-sama's honor. Even if he wasn't willing to call it honor, Naruto decided that he would call it honor. Suddenly, Naruto figured out the solution to his problem. It was so obvious, that he didn't realize how come he didn't think of it before.

Suddenly, he saw movement in the corner of his right eye. Acting quickly, he rolled forward and jumped to his feet and started running. He let out a hiss as he felt a stinging pain coming from his back. Since he didn't have time to stop and check out his wound, he guessed that he received another wound from one of Bahamut-sama's claws. Seeing as blood wasn't gushing out, Naruto considered that it was just a scratch compared to his other wound.

Naruto just stood there completely still, sans his eyes, which were constantly darting around, looking to see where the dragon boss would attack him from next. When he was relatively sure that he wasn't about to be attacked, he resumed his thoughts.

'_Man, all I have to do is use a Katon ninjutsu and that should shed some light. If I use a C-class Katon ninjutsu, I know I have more than enough charka to do it enough times to find Bahamut-sama!'_

Without wasting anytime, Naruto quickly flashed through several hand seals. "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"2 He took a deep breath before he exhaled and launched a giant fireball towards the area that he had last seen Bahamut-sama.

Naruto was quite pleased that his plan had worked. The area around the fireball was illuminated, at least until it hit the wall and dispersed.

He started to quickly form the hand seals again and repeated the Katon ninjutus.

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

Finally, with the fifth fireball, Naruto was able to find Bahamut. Well, it would be more appropriate to say that the dragon boss let himself be found, seeing as he didn't move and let the fireball hit his chest.

Before the dragon could move, Naruto disappeared in a flurry of leaves and reappeared on top of Bahamut's head. Before the stunned dragon could react, Naruto quickly formed a Rasengen in his right hand and jumped off of Bahamut's head.

As he fell, he twisted his body around and stuck his left hand in the dragon's right nostril. Ignoring the feeling of snot on his hand, he squeezed the thin membrane inside the nose, causing the dragon to roar in pain.

As soon as Bahamut opened his mouth and revealed his teeth, Naruto shoved his right hand towards the root of the dragon's left incisor. The glowing blue ball of charka made contact with the incisor. For a moment, nothing happened as the Rasengan fought to break the giant tooth.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Naruto noticed that his Rasengan was shrinking. His eyes widened in surprise; his Rasengan had never shrunk in size.

'_Why…why is it shrinking? Are Bahamut-sama's teeth like Kisame's Samehada? No, they can't be…I probably have to feed more charka to it! I've never had to sustain a Rasengan for so long before, so I never realized that it would disappear if I didn't keep a constant supply of charka going.'_

With that in mind, Naruto fed his Rasengan more charka in an attempt to get it to its usual size and power. Slowly, the Rasengan started to grow in size; Naruto smiled as he felt it start to gain its power back. His smile faded away when he realized that it was getting too unstable.

'_Kuso! I put too much charka in it! I should have realized that this would happen, especially after that training I did with Ero-sennin. I have to get all this charka under control or get blown away!'_

Naruto's Rasengan started to show signs that it was getting out of control. Instead of the usual smooth sphere of charka, this Rasengan's charka was pouring out of the sphere. He closed his eyes in order to keep himself from getting distracted. Naruto was concentrating so hard on getting his Rasengan under control that sweat was pouring down his face.

Just as he started to get his Rasengan under control, Naruto felt as though someone had turned on a vacuum and was sucking him up. He opened his eyes in order to see what was going on.

Naruto froze as he saw realized what was happening. _'Oh no…Bahamut-sama must be getting ready to breathe fire!' _He really hoped that his guess about what was going to happen next was wrong.

Peering deep into the dragon's mouth, Naruto saw flames start to build up in his throat. _'Kuso! If I let go now, I'll be slashed by his claws, but if I stay here, I will be burned alive!'_

Suddenly, Bahamut started to exhale. Naruto saw the flames start to race towards him. His mind raced as he tired to figure out what he could do to survive.

'_If I let go from this height, my legs will break from the impact, even if I reinforce them with my charka. If I had access to aneue's charka, then that wouldn't be a problem. I can't use any ninjutsus one handed, and I need to keep holding on to Bahamut-sama's nose. Hmmm…I guess I have to use the Rasengan!'_

Naruto moved his Rasengan from Bahamut's left incisor to the middle of his mouth. He started to pump much more charka than was needed to sustain it. The size of the Rasengan was much larger than his Odama Rasengan, but it wasn't nearly as stable as the Odama was.

As soon as the flames hit Naruto's huge and overpowered Rasengan, the two attacks fought for dominance for a second before they both caused a huge explosion.

Bahamut was simply stunned from the explosion while Naruto was thrown back against the wall. He hit the wall quite hard and started to fall down towards the ground. Naruto turned around and tried to stick to the wall using his charka, but even with the help of his charka, he wasn't able to stick to it. Finally, he managed to grab a ledge before he hit the ground.

"**Ningen…are you crazy?"**

"Hee…Bahamut-sama, are you saying that my plan scared you? Did I do the unthinkable and hurt you?"

Bahamut snorted**. "Ha! As if I could be damaged by an explosion like that! It barely stunned me! But you on the other hand, you were caught up in the explosion!"**

Naruto looked down to see the extent of his wounds; he was surprised to see that his shirt was non-existent. He didn't feel any blood gushing out, so he guessed that the pains he was feeling came from burns.

First, he checked his arms. His left arm was fine, but his right arm, the one that had been holding the Rasengan during the explosion, was badly burned in a few places; third degree burns if he was correct in his assessment.

He frowned as he checked the rest of his body. He had burns all over his chest and legs.

'_This is bad…I can't keep on fighting with these burns…I need to end it now, but how? Rasengan isn't strong enough. I need to use a cutting ninjutsu…something like Chidori.'_

Naruto started to mentally go over all the ninjutus he knew. There wasn't anything that he knew that would help him cut the incisor off. The strongest ninjtusus that he knew were better suited for destroying, not piercing or cutting. All of a sudden, Naruto had an idea.

'_I wonder…Asuma-san used his wind charka to enhance his trench knives, which allowed them to pierce rocks and trees. Seeing as how my Rasenshuriken is made with wind charka, then it should be able to cut just like wind charka!'_

'_But now I have to figure out how to get enough time to form it…it still takes a while to get it ready. Plus, I also have to figure out how to get up to him. I could try Shunshin no Jutsu, but I doubt that Bahamut-sama would fall for the same trick twice,' _pondered Naruto. _'Guess I have to wing it as I go.'_

Naruto formed a single seal and whispered, "Kirigakure no Jutsu."3 A thick mist covered the floor and completely enveloped Naruto. The mist only came up to Bahamut's ankle, but it was thick enough to prevent him from finding Naruto.

Bahamut lowered his head, attempting to find the young shinobi. As he got a bit lower, he was able to make out Naruto's form.

If any of the other Council members were in his position, they wouldn't have been able to find Naruto, with the exception of Hikari. After all, their eyes were designed to help them see through clouds. And since the two often flew high above the view of any ningens; that meant that they had to fly through clouds.

'_**This mist isn't that different from clouds,'**_he realized as he lowered his head even further.

Bahamut's eyes widened in surprise as he heard several voices cry, "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"4 He tried to lift his head out of the mist, but he was too slow. Ten roaring dragons made of water came rushing towards him and hit him in the face.

'_**There's no way that he was able to pull of ten of those by himself; he must have made Kage Bunshin. But the question is, when? When did he pull it off?'**_

The amount of power behind the water dragons surprised Bahamut. He wasn't really hurt; more stunned than anything else.

"Doton: Doryuudan!"5

"Katon: Karyuudan!"6

Multiple flaming mud balls were suddenly flying towards the dragon's exposed throat. Bahamut roared in anger and swung his tail through the mist. He felt it impact with several light objects and heard the familiar 'poof' that is heard when Kage Bunshin are dispelled. The mist was temporarily displaced by Bahamut's tail swing, but it quickly reformed.

With a grunt, Naruto managed to get two of his clones to launch him into the air. He had a Rasen Shuriken already formed in his hand. He felt the wind blowing through his hair as he rushed towards the dragon boss.

Bahamut was focusing on dodging all the flaming mud projectiles and water dragons that those pesky clones were launching at him. He wasn't able to dodge all of them though, seeing as they were so small compared to him. Those that did hit stung like hell.

Suddenly, the dragon's keen eyes picked up a disturbance within the mist. He couldn't get a clear view, from his spot, but he wasn't willing to stick his head back in the mist. All he could tell was that something was making the mist start to spin around in the middle of it. It wasn't enough to clear the mist, but it was just enough to be noticed.

'_**Hmmm…if he follows the same pattern, then this ninjutsu will be a Ryuudan of some element. If I didn't know better, I would say it would be a Fuuton Ryuudan, but there's no such thing,'**_ Bahamut pondered.

Suddenly, in the midst of the elemental dragons flying towards him, Bahamut saw several orange shinobi flying towards him. The clones weren't just charging in randomly; rather, they flew at him in groups of three, forming human chain by linking their arms together. One held a Rasengan that was similar to the one that he had been exposed for earlier, but this one was…different. It seemed to resemble a Fuma Shuriken.

"You ready? After this move, your incisor will be mine!" the horde of Kage Bunshin.

"**Foolish ningen! There's no way you could jump up from the ground and expect to break my incisor!"**

Bahamut was right. Naruto wasn't near the dragon's head, but that didn't deter him from his goal. The Kage Bunshin at the lead of each trio threw the other two above him, giving the other two an additional push to help them reach Bahamut's face. The process had to be repeated once more, before they were in range to attack with their Rasen Shuriken.

The dragon boss was surprised. He wouldn't have thought of using Kage Bunshin to propel other Kage Bunshin to reach him. _**'But now, I have to figure out where the real one is.'**_

The first Naruto to attack him came from his left side. Bahamut head butted the charging Naruto, choosing to attack first. To his surprise, his head passed through nothing.

'_**Regular Bunshin?'**_

A tickling sensation on his right arm drew his attention away from being surprised. He flailed his right arm, effectively throwing the Bunshin against the wall. To his surprise, this Bunshin exploded into a cloud of smoke when it hit the wall.

'_**So, he's using both types of Bunshin to confuse me. A good plan, but I don't lose focus so easily!'**_

Unfortunately, Bahamut had more to worry about than just the Kage Bunshin and Bunshin attacking him. There was still a good number of Kage Bunshin down in the mist that was still sending out elemental dragons to attack him.

Unseen by Bahamut, four Kage Bunshin headed towards his feet. All four of them jumped up and held on to the massive dragon's ankle. As soon as the Kage Bunshins were in position, they whispered, "Bunshin: Bakuha."7

The ensuring explosion was so powerful that the mist was blown away. Not that Bahamut noticed though; he was actually roaring in pain. Through the pain, he managed to think, _**'This ningen actually hurt me!'**_

The real Naruto saw Bahamut's mouth open when he started to roar in pain and lunged towards the exposed incisor. He threw his right hand forward and shoved the Rasen Shuriken against the giant tooth. This time, Naruto made sure to sustain his attack with the necessary amount of charka and control.

Suddenly, both combatants heard a loud cracking sound.

Without warning, Naruto started to fall forward into Bahamut's open mouth. Thinking quickly, Naruto threw out his left hand and grabbed onto another tooth, which prevented him from falling into the giant dragon's mouth.

'_What happened?'_ wondered Naruto. He checked his surroundings to see if anyone had tired to push him in. As his eyes wandered over to the incisor that he had targeted, he realized that he had fallen because the incisor that he had been targeting had been broken off. When it broke, Naruto simply lost his balance and started to fall.

Bahamut lowered his face down to the ground and stared at Naruto. Naruto figured that the dragon wanted him to get out of his mouth, so he let go and jumped to the ground. It was still a good ten foot drop, so he made sure to reinforce his feet with charka. With a wave of his hand, the remaining Kage Bunshins were dispelled.

"**You did well ningen. You did very well."**

Naruto picked up the broken incisor and offered it back to the Dragon boss. "Bahamut-sama, I am very sorry for breaking your incisor. Please, forgive me," Naruto pleaded.

The Dragon boss just stared at the young shinobi in front of him**. "Bah, what are you sorry for? I told you to break it didn't I? Besides, it'll grow back in a day,"** the dragon said, reassuring the shinobi.

"Arigato. Would you like to have your incisor back?"

"**Hmmm…keep it. One day, you may find that you will need it. You should know that my teeth never dull, and it is very hard to break, as you have just found out."**

"Arigato, I am in your debt Bahamut-sama," Naruto replied before he sealed the incisor in a scroll.

"**Well, rest for now ningen. You have passed my Trial, but I have to meet with the rest of the Council to come to a conclusion," **he stated before he flew back to the others.

"Hai," Naruto stated before he sat down. He ripped off his pant legs and used the strips of clothing to replace the blood soaked bandages.

'_**You did very well otouto, I'm proud of you.'**_

'_Arigato aneue. It was much harder than I thought.'_

'_**Well, what did you expect? They are the bosses of their clans; did you expect them to be pushovers? Just so you know, Bahamut-sama was holding back during his Trial.'**_

'_I kind of figured that out. I still can't believe how tired I am.'_

'_**Well, remember it's because you don't have access to my charka. You not having any access to my charka is like an Inuzuka never using soldier pills.**_

'_I'm tired, so very tired.'_

'_**Then rest, and rest well. I will wake you when you are needed.'**_

'_Arigato aneue.'_

Naruto felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, until they closed and he entered a dreamless sleep.

--

Unseen by everyone in the Council Chambers, there were eight figures watching them. In fact, these figures had been watching everything that had happened since Naruto had arrived there. Each of these figures was wearing identical black cloaks with hoods on, so there were no distinguishing features showing. The only difference between each form was the height and width of each.

"Aniki, it would seem as though he did rather well, didn't he?"

"Hai otouto. He did very well. Though I'm surprised that his tactics were so well planned out."

"Well, what did I tell you two?"

"I guess you were right. Glad to know that aniki and I weren't wasting our time when we trained you!"

"My otouto is correct. It would seem as though the Will of the Fire burns strongly in him."

"Hmph. I don't see anything burning in him, except for a strong desire to fight and win. He's determined that for sure, but I still think that Will of the Fire thing is a load of crap."

All four of the voices were obviously male. The first three sounded as if they belonged to old men, while the fourth voice sounded much younger than the previous.

"I'm afraid that I have to disagree with you. While I don't see any proof of him having this 'Will of the Fire', he has gotten much stronger since our last encounter. He knows the true secret to becoming truly strong," a fifth voice stated. Unlike the previous three voices, this one belonged to a teenaged female.

"Heh, if he keeps this up, then who knows how much stronger he'll become? He will definitely become Hokage at this rate!" This was a new male voice, and it seemed as though it belonged to someone of the same age as the younger male voice.

"Not unless the entire village will let go of their hatred of him," a young woman's voice stated darkly. "Or has your faith in Konoha once again blinded you to what they have done to him?"

"I haven't forgotten," the voice replied. "We both saw what he had to go through, remember? But once the villagers see him doing everything he can to end the upcoming war, then there's no way that anyone in Konoha will think ill of him again!"

"The Trials are over," a male voice stated. Unlike the other male voices, this one seemed to be old beyond belief and was had a very deep tone. "Thus, I think it is time for us to go."

"Awww man, do we have to?" questioned the voice that believed Naruto would become Hokage.

"Hai. Now, come," ordered the voice. "I have let you watch the Trials and you have seen that Naruto-san has passed. It is time for us to go back."

With that being said, one of the figures disappeared and left only a cloud of black smoke behind. Reluctantly, the remaining seven figures disappeared and left similar clouds of black smoke.

--

"**So, we have reached our conclusion then?"** questioned Enma.

"**Hai. I will go and wake Naruto and inform him of our decision,"** Gamabunta replied.

The massive toad walked over to Naruto's motionless form. He placed his pipe in his mouth, took a deep breathe, and blew a puff of smoke towards Naruto.

Naruto started to cough as the smoke threatened to fill his lungs. His eyes started to water up from the smoke. _'Gah! Aneue, what happened to waking me up?'_

'_**I was about to, but then Gamabunta acted faster than I could,'**_ apologized Kyuubi.

"**Oi, wake up. You've slept long enough,"** Gamabunta boomed.

"How long was I asleep for?"

"**About forty minutes. We had a very long discussion regarding your case."**

"And?"

"**It's not my place to tell you. Well, at least not yet; we have to get back to the others before the verdict can be announced."**

"Fine, fine," Naruto answered impatiently. Naruto had to sprint just in order to keep up with the Toad boss who was walking at a leisurely pace.

They soon reached the spot where Naruto had appeared when he had answered the Council's call. He sat down on his knees and waited for the verdict.

"**Uzumaki Naruto, are you ready to hear the verdict?"**

"Hai Gamabunta-sama."

"**You showed that you can think while you are under pressure. You were able to analyze how much charka and control to use when you no longer had access to the Kyuubi's power. For being able to think under pressure, I am pleased to say that you have passed my Trial,"** the toad stated in a formal voice.

"**You have your priorities in place correctly. You demonstrated that you were more than willing to sacrifice your life in order to save your precious people. While your plan was noble, you should prepare yourself for the fact that you may have to kill the Uchiha in the upcoming invasion,"** warned the slug.

"Hai. Kyuubi has already lectured me on that, and if it comes down to it, I will kill him. I will regret it, but I will still kill him," Naruto replied.

"**You have demonstrated that you are a good leader. You didn't let the power go to your head, nor did you look down on the civilians for not being shinobi. In fact, you did the opposite-you gave your life for them,"** the ape stated.

"**Your heart is still pure, despite everything that you have gone through. Therefore, I believe that you will be able to wield the immense power of the Kyuubi and the Kitsune clan without being corrupted," **the phoenix stated.

"**Your fighting skills are extremely impressive. Not many are able to get close enough to break my incisor, let alone have an attack that will break it. You are very strong, and will only get stronger as time goes on…and you have access to the Kyuubi's charka. However, your beliefs are far too idealistic for the life of a shinobi. You must learn that the life you have chosen is a dark one, one filled with blood and death,"** the dragon stated.

Naruto's jaw tightened in frustration. He knew what Bahamut-sama said was true, but Naruto had decided to live his life differently. After all, he had created his own nindo after the death of Haku and Zabuza.

"**And so,"** Gamabunta stated, **"I am happy to inform you that your request has been granted."**

"**May you have better luck than the last summoner for the Kyuubi,"** Enma gravely stated.

"Arigato," Naruto stated before he bowed.

'_Aneue, did you hear that? I did it! I really did it! You're going to be freed!'_

Kyuubi was smiling inside her cage. She had never thought that her otouto would have been able to pass the Trials on his first time. _** 'Yes, you did it. I can't tell you how thankful I am. I am forever in your debt,'**_ she formally stated.

'_Eh? You don't owe me anything aneue. This is what families do-they look out for one another and they don't need to be repaid.'_

Kyuubi was stunned. Neither one of them had ever called the other family. Sure they had called each other 'younger brother' and 'older sister', but Naruto thought of so many people as his brothers and sisters. It warmed her heart to hear Naruto openly call her family.

'_**Otouto…thank you. Thank you so much.'**_

'_You're embarrassing me, you know that? If anything, I'm in __**your**__ debt. I mean, you've healed me all these years and lent me your charka when mine wasn't enough to get the job done.'_

Before the two could start arguing again, Hikari spoke up.

"**Well, let's free the Kyuubi from that seal, shall we?"**

"Ano Hikari-sama, won't that kill me?" questioned Naruto. "The Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, died when Shukaku was extracted from him."

"**That's only because the ningens used a bastardized version of the extraction process,"** Bahamut answered.

"**Despite his crude language, he is correct,"** stated Katsuya. **"You will not be harmed."**

Naruto hesitated for a moment before he nodded his head. "Alright, free Kyuubi from her cage."

The five boss summons surrounded Naruto and started to channel their charka so it glowed around each one of them. Each boss focused part of their charka to the seal, in an attempt to free her.

Suddenly, in a flash of red light, Kyuubi appeared sitting on the ground. She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to get her eyes to adjust.

Naruto was amazed as he saw his aneue out of his mind for the first time. He had never seen her full body; the most of her that he had ever seen was half of her face. The cage that she had been stuck in due to the Yondaime's seal prevented him from seeing her whole body. Now that he had the opportunity to see her whole body, he decided to take advantage of it.

Kyuubi's fur was a bright red and it reflected the beams of light that shone on her coat. When she yawned, Naruto noticed the size of her teeth. They weren't as large as Bahamut-sama's, but they were still formidable. Her largest teeth, her incisors, were probably as long as half of his arm. He could see the muscles moving beneath her fur; they weren't large enough to make her appear to be bulky, but rather it made her look lean, much like a cat…or a fox.

The most amazing part of her however, had to be her nine tails. They each swished in different directions, making it seem as each one had a mind of its own. Instead of being overwhelmed with fear of Kyuubi, Naruto felt happy. He was so happy that Kyuubi was freed from her prison and able to move around freely, something that she hadn't been able to do for sixteen years.

'_Hmmm…the textbooks don't do you any justice, aneue.'_

'_**Stop that otouto, you're embarrassing me.'**_

'_Huh? You can hear me? Oh ya, you said that we would still be able to share thoughts. How about your charka? Will I still have access to it?'_

'_**Hmm…I don't think so.'**_

'_Oh, oka…wait! What am I going to do when I go back to my body?! I don't think Tsunami can heal these wounds!'_

'_**Oh…ano…oh! Some of my charka should still be in your system. It should be enough to heal your wounds.'**_

'_I hope you're right aneue.'_

'_**Of course I'm right,'**_ scoffed Kyuubi.

"**It is good to see you again Mikomi-chan,"** Katsuya stated.

"Mikomi-chan?" questioned Naruto.

"**Didn't you know?"** questioned Hikari. "**The Kyuubi's name is Mikomi."**

Naruto turned to face Ky…Mikomi. "You never told me your name was Mikomi!"

Mikomi managed to look sheepish at Naruto's question. **"Well…after I attacked Konoha, I decided to stop going by my name. After all, I wasn't worthy of my name at that point."**

"Mikomi…Mikomi…" Naruto repeated slowly. "I like it. It's a nice name, and it suits you."

"**Arigato otouto,"** Mikomi stated.

The five Council members shared a glance with one another. Mikomi, the Kyuubi, the strongest of the nine Bijuu, called a mere mortal 'otouto'?

'_**This ningen…he is far more than what he appears to be if he was able to win the respect and affections of Mikomi,'**_ thought Bahamut.

"**As sweet as this is, there are other things that we have to deal with,"** Hikari stated.

"**What is it that you want to talk about my friend?"**

Naruto was stunned. "Friend? You're friends with Hikari-sama?"

"**Friends?" **Katsuya stated. "**Hikari-chan, Mikomi-chan, and I were…are nakama."**

Naruto just blinked in surprise. "Okay…you have any other connections to powerful summons that I should know of?"

Mikomi hummed in thought. **"Hmm…not really. At least, none that I can think of at the moment."**

"**Let's get to the point, shall we?"** Bahamut gruffly questioned.

"**Hai,"** Hikari stated.

"**Naruto,"** Gamabunta stated after he took a deep breathe from his pipe. **"As you stated earlier, many Summon Clans will be battling in what may be the largest shinobi war. Some will be fighting alongside you, while you will be fighting others. Do you think that the power of the Kitsune clan will be enough to help turn the tide of the war in your favor?"**

"Alone? No. Teamwork is the key to winning a battle or a war. Besides, Jiraiya-sensei can summon from the Toad Clan, Tsunade-sama can summon from the Slug Clan, and I can summon from the Kitsune and the Toad Clan. And I guess Konohamaru or someone else from the Sarutobi clan can summon Apes. Oh, and there are bound to be other Summon Clans that I don't know of in Konoha. And Temari has a Weasel contract," Naruto stated.

Suddenly, another question emerged in Naruto's mind. "Wait…I am allowed to have signed more than one contract, right?"

"**Hai. You can have as many contracts as you want, as long as you have the blessings of the Boss Summons,"** Gamabunta replied. **"However, that is not the problem. The problem lies in who has actually signed a contract."**

Enma sighed. "**The Ape Clan is often associated with the Sarutobi clan, but that is just a misconception. In actuality, only a select few from the Sarutobi clan are worthy enough to sign the contract. The only one from the clan who has proven their worth is Konohamaru-san. And while he is worthy, that doesn't mean that he's ready to sign it."**

"**The same goes for the Phoenix Clan. We have yet to come across anybody who is of pure of heart and with a gentle soul to be considered worthy of our contract,"** Hikari stated.

"**No ningen has proved that they were capable of handling the power of the Dragon Clan."**

"Wait…are you saying that out of the six of you, only three of your clans will be able to fight during the war?" questioned a stunned Naruto.

"**No, you didn't let me finish my sentence,"** Bahamut stated. **"If you had let me finish my sentence, I would have added in 'yet'. By that, I mean that I have deemed you worthy of holding the position as the first summoner of the Dragon Clan."**

"**After going through your memories, I have decided that you are as pure of heart as anyone can be. Not many can go through what you have and still long to become the Hokage. And while you are a fighter rather than a healer, your soul is gentle enough to allow you to become the first summoner of the Phoenix Clan."**

"**I know that if Sarutobi was still alive, he would have wanted you to be our summoner. And I agree with his beliefs; the Will of the Fire burns brightly inside of you."**

"**Tsunade has never spoken an ill word of you. I know that she has two apprentices, but she has yet to offer either one of them the chance to sign the contract. Why she hasn't offered it to them yet I don't know. However, I do know this- I would be honored to name you as our next summoner."**

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Sign all of your contracts?"

"**Hai,"** Bahamut stated. **"I don't often compliment ningen, but you are an exception."**

"**He is correct,"** Hikari stated. **"Neither one of us has ever had a summoner before, but I know that you are worthy enough to be the first."**

Naruto lowered his head. It was funny how in his village he was ignored and hated by so many. When he visited Tazuna's village, he was idolized. And here in the Spirit Realm, he was being offered the chance to be the summoner of six different clans.

"I…I would be honored to sign them."

In a puff of smoke, four scrolls appeared before him. He opened each one, bit his thumb, and signed his name.

"I…I don't know how to thank all of you. With this, we may be able to win the war even though we are badly outnumbered."

"**You're not done you know,"** Bahamut stated. **"You will need to train very hard in order to use each of our clans to their fullest extent. First, you should work on increasing your charka reserves. While it is impressive, it won't be enough to summon all six of us since you don't have access to Mikomi's charka anymore."**

"**You will also have to work with us and our subordinates in order to learn how to be a true team,"** Hikari stated.

"Hai, I understand."

"**You should also come back here to train,"** stated Enma. **"Training could be much more effective if you come here every so often because we can manipulate the surroundings to whatever we need it to be."**

"Should I come here everyday?" questioned Naruto.

"**No,"** Enma firmly stated. **"Humans are not meant to leave their physical body so often. It would be detrimental to your health to do so. Let's say…three times a week."**

"If that is all, then I will be getting back to my body. I don't want to die from blood loss," Naruto stated.

"**Hai, that is all. Good luck in your training,"** Gamabunta stated. **"Come back when you have fully recovered."**

"**Otouto, I will be staying here for a while if you don't mind,"** Mikomi stated. **"If you need me, you can still contact me with your thoughts."**

Naruto smiled; it seemed that he could drop the formalities now. "Aneue, you don't have to ask me when you want to spend time with your nakama. Have fun; I know you have lots to catch up on."

Mikomi waved one of her tails over Naruto, and his spiritual body disappeared.

Katsuya smiled. "**Tsuande-sama was right about him-he really is kind and thoughtless."**

"**You have no idea,"** Mikomi stated with a sad smile. **"After every beating, every harsh glare, every hurtful word, and everything else those damn villagers have done to him, he still remains pure. But most of all…he doesn't hate me, when he has every right to. I can't help but worry that he harbors some hatred for me deep down. It just…hurts so much to think that someone as kind as him would hate me."**

"**You know he doesn't hate you, right?"** questioned Hikari. **"I looked through his mind and thoughts for his Trial. I spent some extra time going over what he thought of you. He loves you; he thinks of you as his older sister that he never had-that's why he calls you 'aneue'. There is no doubt in my mind that he completely loves you."**

"**Tell us more about his treatment by those villagers,"** ordered Bahamut.

"**Yes, tell us. Sarutobi often summoned me to vent his feelings, but I doubt he told me everything,"** Enma stated with a frown.

"**Well…where should I start? I guess it should start when he was a baby. The Sandaime Hokage was very busy with all the work that had to be done due to my attack, so he hired a baby sitter. Well, that baby sitter lost her family during my attack, so she was filled with vengeance. So that night, she…"**

As Mikomi continued the tale of Naruto's life, the scowls on the Boss summon's faces deepened.

--

Hinata sighed. It was their fourth day of training and today had been the harshest to date. Yamato-sensei had started to teach all of them different Douton and Suiton ninjutsus. Hinata had an easy time learning the Suiton ninjutsus while Shino had an easy time learning Douton ninjutsus because those were their elemental affinities.

Kiba however, had trouble learning both of the ninjutsus, even though his elemental affinity was Douton. It wasn't because he was stupid, but because he didn't really want to learn anything outside of his clan's techniques. He would have much rather worked on increasing his endurance or his physical strength.

Kiba…Hinata had spent more time with the young Inuzuka ever since their second date. Slowly but surely any doubts she had in her mind with regards to their relationship started to disappear. It felt good to be wanted by _someone_, regardless of who it was.

'_But do you love him or are you trying to drown your sorrow by jumping into the first relationship that you can?'_ There it was again! That annoying little voice in her head had yet to cease its question! Why did it keep questioning her?

Hinata sat down on her bedroll in her room and forced herself to forget about everything; she didn't need to be worrying about anything during her break. They had been given another two hours to rest and eat dinner before they would resume their training. She decided to get something to eat first. She reached into her pack and pulled out the sealing scroll that the chief had given her. She pushed some charka into it and several containers of food popped out. Hinata gasped in surprise.

Sitting in front of her was a tray of the cinnamon buns that the chief had worked so hard on. To her surprise, they were still warm and gave off such a wonderful aroma. She smiled as she realized that the same properties that allowed the food to remain fresh (or in some cases cold) within the scroll also kept the food warm. She eagerly grabbed one and took a bite of heaven.

'_Mmmm…I should go share these with the others,'_ she thought. Hinata took another deep whiff of the heavenly food. _'Eh…maybe after I finish this one,'_ she decided as she took another bite of her favorite food.

--

Naruto groaned as he struggled to walk back to Tazuna's house.

After he had returned to his physical body, he felt the remnants of Mikomi's charka start to heal his wounds. Not wanting to waste anytime, he had started to walk back to Tazuna's house. As he got up, he felt extremely light-headed. When he looked down to where he had lain down, he saw a pool of blood.

'_Huh, guess I didn't heal while I was in the Spirit Realm. Guess this is why aneue told me to bring an iryo-nin.' _As soon as Naruto felt well enough, he headed out.

Before he was half-way there, his wounds had stopped healing. It seemed that he had less of Mikomi's charka in his body than either he or his aneue had expected. He scolded himself again for giving Tsunami all of his bandages.

Naruto was forced to cut up his clothing and use them as make-shift bandages in order to slow down the bleeding. The only article of clothing that he had left was his boxers. He prayed to Kami-sama that the female portion of the village didn't come across him right now.

Finally, after what had seemed to be an eternity, Naruto managed to reach Tazuna's house. He struggled up the stairs and weakly knocked on the door. The door opened after a few moments.

"I finished Tsunami. But I think you're going to need a lot of bandages," Naruto managed to state before he blacked out.

Fortunately, Tsunami was able to catch Naruto before he hit the ground. She managed to carry him to the guest bedroom that she had set up for him and gingerly placed him on the bed. She left the room and headed towards the bathroom in order to gather the bandages and disinfectants that she had.

When she reached the bathroom, she gathered up all the supplies in her arms. As she was about to leave the bathroom, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She gasped as she saw that her shirt was covered in blood. She knew she wasn't hurt, so she quickly came to the conclusion that the blood was from Naruto.

'_If I have this much blood on me from just carrying him for a few seconds, then he must be in terrible condition!'_ she thought as she ran to his room.

Tsunami quickly reached the room and took a closer look at Naruto's wounds. She was horrified as she saw the slashes on his body. Tsunami suddenly remembered that Naruto had given her the task of bandaging his wounds after he finished whatever he had just done. She grabbed several towels and placed them against the wounds that were bleeding the most and tightly wrapped them up.

"Don't worry Naruto, I'll make sure that your wounds are taken care of," Tsunami reassured the unconscious boy. "After all, it's the least I can do for you."

After an hour of hard work, Tsunami managed to stop all of the bleeding and covered all of the wounds with bandages. With a sigh, she sat back and decided to take a breather. She decided that she would stay in Naruto's room until he regained consciousness. It wouldn't do to have the hero of their village die.

When Naruto woke up, the first thing that he noticed was that he was hungry.

'_Why would I be hungry? I'm never hungry before I go to bed,'_ he wondered. He stayed still and pondered his question. He was rather comfortable, being in a bed and under warm covers.

'_The Trials! I finished the Trials! I must be hungry because I haven't been able to eat! But…how long was I in the Spirit Realm for?'_

Naruto yawned; he didn't know how long he had been asleep for, but he was still tired. He decided that he would get something to eat after he took another nap.

Before he fell back asleep, he had one final thought-_'I wonder if Hinata-chan will be impressed that I can summon from six different clans now. And I'm the first summoner for two of those clans! If she's not impressed by that, then I don't know how to impress her!' _

--

References and Jutsu List:

1. **"I have two rules for you to remember ningen: One-I don't kill without a reason. Two-I can always find a reason to kill." **This is a quote from the novel, Mass Effect: Revelation.

2. Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu- Great Fireball Technique

3. Kirigakure no Jutsu- Hidden Mist Technique

4. Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu- Water Dragon Projectile Technique

5. Doton: Doryuudan- Earth Dragon Projectile

6. Katon: Karyuudan- Fire Dragon Projectile

7. Bunshin: Bakuha- Clone Explosion

8. Mikomi- Hope, prospects, expectations. I decided to give the Kyuubi a name. I didn't want to refer to her as Kyuubi for the whole story. Note how when Naruto referred to Mikomi as Kyuubi, he used the word 'Kyuubi' as if it were her actual name. However, when the Boss Summons talked about her, they used the phrase, '_the_ Kyuubi'. Not sure if any of you caught that.

Author's Notes: Well, this update came out really quick! There were two main reasons for this speedy update-1) Damn the manga! Damn it to hell! Wait, forget that. Just read this week's issue, and it makes sense. Don't want to spoil it, but a bit of my hatred of Sasuke being overpowered has dissipated. However, I am still not looking forward to "Year of Sasuke". If the manga continues like how it is going, I think I'm going to be updating a lot quicker-because I'll be trying to create my own Naruto world where Sasuke isn't strong enough to go toe-to-toe with S-class nuke-nin.

2) I got a review from one of my favorite authors, **VenomLord**! To know that one of my favorite authors actually took time to read my story and liked it…well, that just inspired me! If you haven't checked out his work, go check it out! He writes amazing stories, and to be honest I'm really surprised that one of his amazing stories, **Altered Destiny**, doesn't have a thousand reviews yet! It's an amazing story, along with his other one, **Life of Uzumaki Naruto**.

On a side note, you have just read what I like to think of as a true battle. I don't really think that Team Eight's training with Yamato really counted as me writing a battle scene. So, what did you think? Good, bad? Interesting, boring? What do you think of it? Please let me know, so I will be able to fix anything that is missing. I need to know, because it will help me write better battle scenes-and trust me, as this story progresses, there will be large battles. This story is all about preparing for a war after all.

Please leave a review! Or flames, as long as you justify it and leave your account name or e-mail address so I can attempt to redeem myself. Or you can just visit the thread I started for this (link in my profile); I tend to respond there a lot quicker than e-mails. Thanks for taking the time to read my story!


	5. What's Behind A Smile

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, my stories wouldn't be here. They would be the actual manga…or not. Who knows?

Author's Notes: Yes, I know there is a lack of action in this chapter-don't worry, the next chapter will have more action. Plus, I've been refining my action-writing skills, so future battles should be better…I hope. Well, now I guess I'll be responding to a few reviews, that I feel need to be answered.

**KatanaKage** had a comment, stating that so far, in my story, only a week has gone by. I think more time has passed, but I'm not sure. Also, I'm saying that it takes roughly a day for Naruto to travel to Tazuna's village (one way, meaning one day to get there, one day to get back). Here's a timeline of the events so far:

Chapter One: One day

Chapter Two: Three days

Chapter Three: Three days

Chapter Four: Two days

Chapter Five: Five days

Huh…So I guess **KatanaKage **was more or less right…don't worry, now that the…'introductions' are out of the way, the timeline will speed up.

**Dismal Evans** sent in a review, stating: _Well, I enjoyed reading this fic up till this point, but I won't continue reading it._

_The whole Hiniata-Naruto mix up makes no sense at all, not only does it add nothing to the story, but if Naruto really loved her he had like a month and a half to tell her, it is not possible that a time couldn't be found. Really the way you've wrote it they shouldn't even end up together because they don't seem to love eachother at all._

_And it was even stupider to have Shino, Kurenai and Neji just wait. Someone should've talked to Hiniata about it, there wasn't any reason for them not to, but there was alot of reasons to have them talk to her. They all know she is insecure so you're telling me they'd ignore her when she seemed to need help most?_

_It saddens me to say you ruined your fic with over dramatic and pointless romance screw ups._

That's just one of many reviews that had similar complaints. In order to…'justify' my actions, please note that this story is listed under the 'Tragedy/Romance' category (though Action/Adventure will play a huge part later on).

And when did he have a month and a half to tell her? Just a bit over a week has gone by. And even if he did have the time, he was busy setting up the seal to summon the Summon Council.

And Shino, Kurenai, and Neji didn't talk to Hinata about it because I'm trying to keep the characters as close to cannon as I can. Did anybody tell Naruto of Hinata's feelings towards him in cannon? No, so why should they do anything different with regards to Hinata? Besides, they don't know that she's dating Kiba yet.

Now, please refer to the definition of tragedy, taken from dictionary . com:

_Tragedy_: 1) a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.

4) any literary composition, as a novel, dealing with a somber theme carried to a tragic conclusion.

5) the tragic element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.

6) a lamentable, dreadful, or fatal event or affair; calamity; disaster: (example) the tragedy of war

If that doesn't help you understand why, then…well, if you don't mind figuring out what will most likely happen, then read/watch the novel/movie _The Notebook_.

Yes, I am male, and no, I am not gay because I watched it. In fact, to all of you guys out there with a girlfriend/significant other, watch it with them. And at the end, kiss them on the forehead and tell them how much they mean to you. Yes, most guys find the movie too be too fluffy and boring, but sitting through it with your girl will earn you major points. And if you tell them how much they mean to you after reading/watching it…well, just do it. Take my advice on that.

Wow, that felt good to get it off of my chest. As usual, there will be another Author's Notes at the end. Now, to the story!

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self/Boss Summon Talk**"

'_**Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts**_'

Last Time:

Finally, after what had seemed to be an eternity, Naruto managed to reach Tazuna's house. He struggled up the stairs and weakly knocked on the door. The door opened after a few moments.

"I finished Tsunami. But I think you're going to need a lot of bandages," Naruto managed to state before he blacked out.

Fortunately, Tsunami was able to catch Naruto before he hit the ground. She managed to carry him to the guest bedroom that she had set up for him and gingerly placed him on the bed. She left the room and headed towards the bathroom in order to gather the bandages and disinfectants that she had.

When she reached the bathroom, she gathered up all the supplies in her arms. As she was about to leave the bathroom, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She gasped as she saw that her shirt was covered in blood. She knew she wasn't hurt, so she quickly came to the conclusion that the blood was from Naruto.

'_If I have this much blood on me from just carrying him for a few seconds, then he must be in terrible condition!'_ she thought as she ran to his room.

Tsunami quickly reached the room and took a closer look at Naruto's wounds. She was horrified as she saw the slashes on his body. Tsunami suddenly remembered that Naruto had given her the task of bandaging his wounds after he finished whatever he had just done. She grabbed several towels and placed them against the wounds that were bleeding the most and tightly wrapped them up.

"Don't worry Naruto, I'll make sure that your wounds are taken care of," Tsunami reassured the unconscious boy. "After all, it's the least I can do for you."

After an hour of hard work, Tsunami managed to stop all of the bleeding and covered all of the wounds with bandages. With a sigh, she sat back and decided to take a breather. She decided that she would stay in Naruto's room until he regained consciousness. It wouldn't do to have the hero of their village die.

When Naruto woke up, the first thing that he noticed was that he was hungry.

'_Why would I be hungry? I'm never hungry before I go to bed,'_ he wondered. He stayed still and pondered his question. He was rather comfortable, being in a bed and under warm covers.

'_The Trials! I finished the Trials! I must be hungry because I haven't been able to eat! But…how long was I in the Spirit Realm for?'_

Naruto yawned; he didn't know how long he had been asleep for, but he was still tired. He decided that he would get something to eat after he took another nap.

Before he fell back asleep, he had one final thought-_'I wonder if Hinata-chan will be impressed that I can summon from six different clans now. And I'm the first summoner for two of those clans! If she's not impressed by that, then I don't know how to impress her!' _

--

**Begin: **

**Chapter Five: What's Behind A Smile**

"You were amazing Hinata-chan," a male voice stated, causing a blush to redden the young woman's cheeks.

"Arigato," she answered.

Sweat was glistening on both of their naked bodies. Their legs were so entangled, that she didn't know where her legs started and where they ended. Hinata maneuvered herself so that she was on top of her lover and placed her head on his chest. And for that moment, everything was perfect, just as it should be.

"Arf! Arf, arrrf, aaaarrf, arf!"

Hinata propped herself up on her elbows and looked into her lover's eyes. She loved looking at his eyes; every time she starred into his eyes, she felt as though she would get lost in them.

"What was that?" she questioned.

"Nothing," he replied before he started to nibble on her right ear. His actions made her shudder in delight. "Just forget all about it. Ready for another round?"

"H-hai," she answered. He was ready to go again? He must be a stamina freak!

"Good, because we're ready too," he answered before he put his hands on her hips and kissed her nose.

"What d-do y-y-you mean by 'w-we're' ready?"

"Just what it sounds like. Ever have a threesome?"

Before Hinata could answer, her lover captured her lips in a fierce kiss. Hinata closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the desire that she felt for her lover. Behind her, she felt someone lick her earlobe.

"Kiba! The hell are you doing?!"

Hinata's eyes snapped open. She took several deep breathes in order to slow down her racing heart.

'_It…it was just a dream,'_ she thought as she let out a sight of relief. '_I wonder if Naruto-san is really so well…endowed. And if he has so much stamina…'_ She shook her head in order to get rid of those risqué thoughts.

Hinata activated her Byakugan in order to see what was going on outside. After a moment, she shook her head in disbelief.

Apparently, Kiba-kun had decided to join Akamaru in reliving himself on a tree in plain sight of the cabin. Obviously, Kurenai-sensei didn't take too kindly to his actins.

She let out another sigh as her thoughts turned back to the dream she had just had. Why was she still having these dreams with Naruto-san in them? She was Kiba-kun's girlfriend, shouldn't those dreams have him in them rather than Naruto-san?

"Aw, but Kurenai-sensei, I had to go!" whined Kiba.

"I don't care, you could have held it until you were farther in the woods. The last thing I want to see when I wake up is you and Akamaru peeing!"

"Fine, fine. I won't do it again," mumbled Kiba.

Yamato looked at his watch and groaned. It was five in the morning; they should have had another hour of sleep, but it seemed as if the members of Team Eight didn't want that extra hour of sleep. Well, who was he to deny them the opportunity to get stronger?

"Oi!" Yamato yelled. "Since Kiba and Akamaru are already up, we can add another hour to our training for today!"

Hinata was sure that she heard Shino groan, even though he was in the room down the hall from her. She got out of her sleeping bag and started to change into her training clothes. It was bound to be the hardest day of training that they had undergone yet, seeing as how Yamato-sensei had an extra hour with them.

--

"Hmm…guess I'm all better now," stated Naruto as sat on his bed and removed his bandages and checked his wounds. With a content sigh, he stood up and stretched.

"I wonder if I have any of Ky…Mikomi-neechan's chakra left over…" Naruto closed his eyes and focused on channeling his chakra. Something was different though…it felt as though his chakra was…pure?

Suddenly, Naruto remembered what Gamabunta had told him during his trials. Maybe the giant toad was right about constantly channeling Mikomi-neechan's chakra on a constant basis.

Not one to leave questions unanswered, Naruto focused on channeling the demonic chakra that had once been sealed inside of him. During his training trip, he had been able to learn how to use his aneue's chakra without having to ask her. Naruto wasn't surprised when he was unable to call forth Mikomi-neechan's chakra anymore.

'_Guess I can't relay on using her chakra to bail me out anymore…'_

Naruto stopped channeling his chakra and thought about what had happened recently. It turned out that he had been in the Spirit Realm for about two days. He had been sleeping in Tazuna's house for three days; he had woken up from his slumber yesterday for a few minutes and had enough time to ask Tsunami how long he had been asleep before unconsciousness claimed him again.

"I wonder if time passes differently in the Spirit Realm," he said to himself. He decided to add it to the list of questions that he was going to ask Mikomi-neechan whenever she decided to contact him. He knew that he could just focus his thoughts towards her and she would hear them, but he didn't want to interrupt her while she was catching up with her friends.

Naruto walked out of his room and headed straight for the dining room.

"Naruto! You shouldn't be out of bed yet, you're still recovering!" Tsunami scolded. "Get back in bed, and I'll bring you a tray of food."

"Tsunami, I'm fine; all my wounds have healed already. See?"

Tsunami took a closer look at Naruto. "Hmm…so you really did heal. But I thought you were able to heal because Mikomi was sealed inside of you."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he sat down at the table. "I don't know for sure, but I think that I still had some of aneue's charka in my system, so what was left inside of me was used to heal my wounds. I think I may have used it all up though."

Tazuna snorted as he looked at Naruto over the top of his newspaper. "Hmph. Are you sure that giving up Mikomi's charka was really worth it? I mean, you get to summon a few more animals, but you won't have a great healing factor anymore.

Naruto smiled at Tsunami as she put some eggs and bacon on his plate. "No, not really. There's a reason that we have iryo-nin you know. Besides, being able to summon from six different clans is worth the trade-off. I'll just have to be more careful so I don't get hurt too badly and don't run out of charka."

As soon as Tsunami finished putting the food on his plate, he started to shovel it down his mouth. As he was chewing his food, he felt as though something was missing. Naruto froze for a moment before he started to swallow his food.

The ramifications of what he had done almost a week ago had just hit him. He was all alone; his aneue wasn't with him twenty-four seven. The thing that was missing from his meal was Mikomi-neechan…or rather, Mikomi-neechan's voice.

She never failed to complain about his atrocious table manners every time he ate. He had gotten so used to arguing with Mikomi-neechan about his eating habits during meals that it just felt…wrong to be eating without her scolding him. He took a smaller bit, something that he only did when he was troubled. Why did he feel so strange? The strong feeling that was spreading through his body…it felt familiar, but at the same time it felt foreign. It was almost as if he used to know what it was, but as time passed by he forgot all about it.

Loneliness. Naruto was lonely. The comforting presence of his aneue in his head wasn't there anymore. He had gotten so used to talking to her that it seemed as though he had cut off his own arm. The only time that he never talked was when he was sleeping, and that was only because he needed to rest. If there was a way for him to talk to Mikomi-neechan while he was sleeping and still get the rest he needed, then he would have done it. He missed her so much.

When Naruto left Konoha for his three year training trip, he thought that he would be so busy training that he wouldn't have time to feel lonely. How wrong he had been.

Ero-sennin left Naruto on his own a lot in order to conduct his research. He would leave Naruto a scroll or two to learn from before he left, and always tested him on their contents the next morning. At first, Naruto had thought that Ero-sennin just wanted to go peek on women and get drunk, but he soon realized that he really was gathering information. He had contacts in almost every town that they visited and he had to meet up with them. Knowing that had gotten rid of the anger that Naruto felt towards him, but it didn't get rid of the loneliness. That's when Mikomi-neechan came in.

Even before he had gotten on familiar terms with Mikomi-neechan, he had always felt as though she was watching every move he made. He didn't know why she was watching him, and he didn't care enough to bring it up, but it did help get rid of the loneliness a bit.

It didn't fully disappear until they had become family. Then, they talked on a constant basis. When he was tired and needed a break from reading whatever scroll that Ero-sennin left for him, he would go to his mind and talk with his aneue. If it wasn't for her, he doubted that he would have been able to take three years of traveling with Ero-sennin.

For one terrible moment, Naruto wished that he hadn't passed the Trials, so that his aneue would still be with him. Naruto mentally chastised himself for thinking that. No matter how lonely he was, he had no right to imprison anyone for life in order to keep him from getting lonely.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and stared across the table to see a worried Tsunami staring at him with concerned eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about some stuff that I have to do."

"Aniki, are you going to be staying here or are you going back to Konoha?" asked Inari.

Naruto scratched his chin as he thought about Inari's question. To be honest, he hadn't really thought that far ahead. He knew that Tsunade-baachan would want him to be back in time in order to go on the special training with his team and then later the other rookie teams, but he had no idea when his team was scheduled to go on their trip.

"Eh…I guess I have to go back first and then…I don't know what I'll do. If I can, I'll come back here to do my training, alright?"

"Do you think you can train me to be a shinobi just like you?"

Naruto sighed. He was expecting Inari to have asked him that ever since he returned to the village. "Inari…I don't think I can. I don't really know how to teach the basics. Also, shinobi have to start training while they are young. The older you are, the harder it is to learn how to access your charka."

Inari looked down at the floor. "Oh…I see."

Naruto got up from his seat at the table and walked over to Inari and ruffled his hair. "Hey…don't look so sad. I said that I can't teach you how to become a shinobi, but that doesn't mean that I can't teach you how to be stealthy or how to use a kunai."

Inari looked up with wide eyes. "You…you would really teach me all that? Could you teach me how to use a sword too?"

The young shinobi smiled as he saw Inari's enthusiastic look. It reminded him so much of himself when he was younger. "Yes, I will teach you all that. I can't really teach you how to use a sword because I don't even know how to use a sword. The only weapons I use are kunai, shuriken, and the different variations of them."

Before Inari could ask another question, Tsunami spoke up. "When will you be leaving Naruto? I think you should rest another day or so before you leave, in order to make sure that your wounds don't open up again."

"I think I'll leave today. And don't worry about my wounds, they won't open up."

'_**Otouto, are you alright?'**_

'_Eh? Aneue? Is that you?'_

'_**No, it's Orochimaru. Of course it's me, who else would it be? Do you know how worried I've been about you? I haven't been able to contact you for days!'**_

'_I'm fine, I just needed to sleep for a few days. Oh, before I forget, does time pass differently in the Spirit Realm?'_

'_**No. Why didn't you contact me as soon as you woke up? None of us knew if you got back to Tazuna's house or not, and we couldn't send any of our Clan members there because there was no one to summon them and they were all drained from freeing me.'**_

'_I didn't want to interrupt you while you were catching up with your nakama.'_

'_**That's very considerate of you, but stories can wait. You on the other hand, were injured and exhausted from your fights and waiting could have been fatal. Now, as soon as you are able to, come back to the Spirit Realm. The Summon Council wants to see you.'**_

'_Okay. How do I do that?'_

'_**The same way as you did before.'**_

'_Okay. See you soon aneue.'_

Naruto spent a few more moments finishing up his breakfast before he stood up. "Well, I need to go out for a bit. I'll be back before I leave for Konoha though."

Tazuna nodded before he went back to reading the paper while Inari was busy chatting about how excited he was to be learning how to use kunai. Tsunami looked a bit pale, almost as if she was afraid of letting Inari handle such sharp weapons.

Naruto jumped from branch to branch as he headed to the cave where the seal was. It took him a few moments to reach it. He entered and pushed charka into the seal and felt the familiar floating feeling.

--

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Not really."

And that was the truth; Hatake Kakashi had been summoned to the Hokage's office only to see both Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama waiting for him in the office. He assumed that he was being sent on a high class mission, if the grim look on their faces were of any indication.

"Hatake Kakashi," Tsunade began in a solemn voice, "you are here so we can inspect your…qualifications for being a sensei.

Her words were far from anything that Kakashi had imagined would come out of her throat. He was a good sensei, wasn't he? Before Sasuke had left Konoha, he had been the strongest Genin in the village. Not even Hyuuga Neji would have been able to defeat Sasuke.

"I hope you forgive me Hokage-sama, but I don't understand. Haven't I done my job correctly? Before Uchiha Sasuke's departure, he was easily the strongest Genin in Konoha."

Tsunade slammed both of her hands down on her desk. "There's the problem! Uchiha Sasuke!"

Kakashi was still confused. "Ano…are you blaming me for training him too well before he joined Orochimaru? Because I would like you to know that I didn't think that he would abandon Konoha. All I did back then was train a loyal Konoha Genin," reasoned Kakashi.

Jiraiya shook his head in disbelief-this was the famous Hatake Kakashi? He may be one of the strongest Jounin Konoha had, but he was a terrible teacher.

"Exactly!" Tsunade proclaimed. "You trained a Genin. You only trained one Genin out of the three Genin that you were given!"

"That's not true! I trained them all!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what your definition of training is, but you sure as hell didn't train Naruto!"

"What do you mean? I taught all three of my students something!"

"Really?" questioned Tsunade. "Tell me, what did you teach Sakura and Naruto?"

"That's easy," replied Kakashi. "I taught them the importance of teamwork."

"Is that it?" questioned Tsunade.

"No, of course not. I also taught them the tree climbing exercise and…" Kakashi suddenly realized that he couldn't go on. He hadn't taught Naruto and Sakura anything else.

"From your expression, I can tell that you are finally starting to understand why we called you in here. Now, tell me what did you teach Sasuke?"

"Chidori, tree climbing, water walking, multiple Katon and Raiton ninjutsus, advanced taijutsu forms, and I worked with him to increase his speed," Kakashi answered.

"Now, is it just me or does what you taught Sasuke seem to be much more than what you taught Naruto and Sakura?" Tsunade asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes," Kakashi answered as he stared at the ground. "But I had a good reason to do so!"

"Really?" Jiraiya asked with curious eyes. "What?"

"I was the only one who could train him how to use his Sharingan properly!" Kakashi argued.

"True, but you could have split your time evenly between all your students. And you had no justification for solely training the Uchiha the month before the Finals of the Chuunin Exams!" Tsunade yelled back.

"Sasuke was facing Sabakuu no Gaara, easily the strongest and most deadly Genin in the Chuunin Exams! I _had_ to train him!"

Tsunade's right eye started to twitch in annoyance. Jiraiay noticed that her temper was rising rather quickly, so he spoke up before Tsunade attacked Kakashi for bein an idiot.

"You never make a move without having a plan ahead of time," commented Jiraiya. "So what was your plan to have the Uchiha win in his fight against Gaara?"

""He was to start out with basic taijutsu moves and a few C-class Katon ninjutsus. If those weren't enough to break Gaara's armor, then he was to use Chidori to break it. After his armor was broken, then he was to win the fight by using his Shi Shi Redan."

"And what did you teach him during the entire month before the Finals?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, I taught him Goken in order to increase his speed because he needed stronger taijutsu moves. It also gave him the speed that he needed to effectively use the Chidori in conjunction with his Sharingan."

"And how long did that take?"

"Just a bit over two weeks."

"And what did you do for the rest of the time?"

"I taught him multiple Katon and Raiton ninjutsus to help him win his other battles. To defeat Aburame Shino, I taught him Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu. I taught him Katon: Karyuudan for him to defeat Sabakuu no Temari because fire triumphs wind. And to defeat Hyuuga Neji, he was to use any long range ninjutsu that he wanted to because the Jyuuken is useless against long range techniques."

Both of Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Hyuuga Neji?! You didn't think Naruto would win his match?"

"Of course not. Neji was the previous Rookie of the Year and Naruto was the dobe. He had no chance of victory."

"And while Sasuke, the Rookie of the Year, couldn't defeat Gaara, Naruto did. Naruto, the 'dobe' as you call him, was able to defeat him!" Tsunade countered.

"What?! Naruto beat Gaara? How?"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Jiraiya simply answered.

"What? He could summon before the Finals?"

"Yes," Jiraiya answered with narrow eyes. "I taught him when you left him to train the Uchiha."

"N-naruto…learned summoning in a month?"

"Hai. Did you even know that Orochimaru placed a Gogyou Fuuin on Naruto during the Second Exam, did you?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Nani? Why didn't he tell me that?"

"Because you never asked," Tsunade replied. "Did you know that he fought against Orochimaru when Sasuke tried to give up their scroll to let them escape? Did you know that he fought for almost the whole night against an Ame team just to get a scroll for his team to pass? And his teammates never bothered to thank him for it!"

Kakashi was stunned. He had heard from the other Jounin sensei that Naruto's match against Neji was amazing, but he hadn't looked into it. After all, if he didn't do well enough to be promoted to Chuunin, then he obviously did something wrong. The fact that the judges might have been slightly biased against Naruto for holding the Kyuubi never crossed his mind.

"But…but…Sasuke…he said that he beat Gaara!" Kakashi proclaimed.

The two Sannin in the room shared an angry look with one another before they turned back to Kakashi and decided to bring him up to date.

"No he didn't," Tsunade answered. "It was Naruto who defeated Gaara. Sasuke was unable to move because the Cursed Seal started to activate during their fight."

"Let me guess," Jiraiya stated. "You didn't bother to ask him how the fight went; you just assumed that the Chidori was the finishing move, right? And afterwards you taught Sasuke a new ninjutsu or two because he did so well and 'saved' Konoha?"

"Don't forget that you told everyone on the Council that it was Sasuke who saved Konoha," Tsunade hissed out with narrow eyes.

"Hai," Kakashi nodded, feeling ashamed of his actions.

"Do you realize how much it could have helped Naruto's reputation if he had been acknowledged for his defeat of Gaara, rather than Sasuke?" Tsunade asked. "If he had been properly acknowledged, then the first paper that I had to review when I became Hokage wouldn't have been a list of reasons why Naruto should be killed!"

Kakash couldn't do anything but stare at the floor. He felt so ashamed; Naruto had grown so much, and he hadn't done anything to help him become the great shinobi that he was. Internally, he let loose a bitter laugh; he could just see it now-Hatake Kakashi, the Rokudaime Hokage's sensei who left him to train on his own while he trained Uchiha Sasuke, the nuke-nin.

"What…what have I done?" mumbled Kakashi.

"Made a hell of a mistake," Jiraiya answered.

"And that's putting it mildly," Tsunade added on.

"I…I need some time to think," Kakashi stated. "May…may I be excused?"

Jiraiya shrugged and looked towards Tsunade.

"Of course Kakashi," Tsunade answered. "I know you don't want to talk to anyone right now, so you can leave through my window."

"Arigato," Kakashi answered gratefully.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows in confusion. His love interest never let anyone go through her window; the few times that he had tried coming in through her window, she always punched him so hard that he flew half-way across Konoha.

"Oh, Kakashi? One more thing," Tsuande added.

"Hmm?" Kakashi questioned as he crouched on the window sill.

All of a sudden, Kakashi saw a fist heading straight for his face. The next thing that he noticed was that his hair was flowing in the wind.

'_Wait…wind? The hell?'_ Kakashi looked around and realized that he was flying over Konoha.

"That's for abandoning Naruto!" Tsunade before Kakashi disappeared from sight.

The two Sannin looked at one another before they burst into laughter.

"Think we finally got the truth though his thick skull?" Jiraiya asked.

"Of course. And if that didn't work…well, I'm more than willing to meet with him again," Tsunade answered.

--

"**Welcome back ningen,"** came Bahamut's voice.

"It is good to see you again Bahamut-sama," Naruto replied. He was in the same chamber as before. The only difference was that the chamber was flooded in light, allowing him to see everyone clearly. That and Mikomi was sitting in between Katsuya and Hikari.

"**Drop the honorifics ningen. I can tell that you're not used to using them, so don't bother using them."**

"Are…are you sure?"

"**I just said so, didn't I?"**

"Alright…Bahamut."

"**Can we get on with this meeting?"** questioned Enma.

"**Yes, we should finish this meeting as soon as possible,"** Katsuya stated. **"We do not know if spending prolonged time in the Spirit Realm will be detrimental to a human body, so you should have Tsunade-sama run a diagnosis on you as soon as you return to Konoha to see if there are any negative side effects."**

"**You should also find out when you will be training with the rest of your team,"** Gamabunta stated. Seeing Naruto's eyes widen in surprise, he chuckled. **"Jiraiya is a pervert, but he always informs me of anything major going on."**

"Hai, I will do that."

"**And then, see if your Hokage will excuse you from the two-month training trip,"** Enma instructed.

"**Excuse me? Why? I planned the whole thing, and it would look really bad if I didn't show up,"** Naruto reasoned.

"**Because you are the one that can summon all six of us. To use us and our clans to our full potential, you will have to train with us. The training you undergo will help you work with us, and as such we will be your team. Training for two months with others would not be the best decision."**

"But…what about learning how to work with the others?"

"**Why do you want to train with other ningens when you have the chance to train under six summon bosses? Most ningens would **_**kill**_** for that chance!"** Bahamut questioned.

"I…I want to work with them so we can all get stronger! So…so they don't have to die…" Naruto answered.

"**Naruto, the best way to protect your friends is to train with us. How many of your friends can summon an army in order to defeat an army of Oto shinobi?"** Hikari questioned.

"None…but still, I want to train with them!" Naruto replied stubbornly.

"**Okay Gaki, you go and talk to Tsunade and ask her to excuse you from missions for seven months. During that time, you will train with us. For the remaining two months, you can train either train with your team, all the teams, or split the time between the two, okay?"** suggested Gamabunta.

Naruto thought it over for a minute. Gamabunta's suggestion sounded good. "I guess that's okay. But I will still go on missions if I have to; Konoha needs to complete missions in order to get money to fund the war. I have no idea how long the war will last, and it would be a good idea to have enough funds if the war should drag out for a while."

Hikari nodded. **"That is acceptable. Just make sure to find out when your team is scheduled to go on the training trip so we can plan your training around it."**

"Will it be okay if I tell one of your subordinates when the date is so I don't have to come back here? I'm not saying that I don't like it here, but I just don't want to spend too much time here and find out that it's shortening my lifespan or anything," Naruto stated.

Enma nodded. **"Of course. Now, get going; the road in front of you is long filled with obstacles. We will need all the time we have in order to traverse it."**

Naruto nodded before Mikomi waved one of her tails over him and he vanished.

"**Well, who gets to train my otouto first?"**

--

Naruto looked up at the sky. He still had three hours until noon, and he decided that he should get back to Konoha and inform Baachan of the plan. The arguing that was bound to take place would take hours to finish.

He formed a single seal and a single Kage Bunshin came into existence. Naruto handed the clone a kunai and a few shuriken. "Hey, while I'm gone teach Inari how to us them and tell them that I don't know when I'll be back." That being said, Naruto jumped up to the top of the branches and started to jump from branch to branch, heading back towards Konoha.

'_Hmm...guess I could summon, but this is good exercise.'_

As Naruto was running he gathered several leaves and used them to practice his charka control. He used his charka to keep all the leaves two centimeters away from his body. Naruto had no problem doing the exercise…as long as he wasn't moving. Since he was jumping from branch to branch, the simple exercise's difficulty increased dramatically.

'_Why go back to Konoha the same way that I did before? I think I'll go visit one of those clearings that Yamato-sensei says that Hahaoya Tsuchi must have blessed herself. I haven't paid my respects to her recently, and I could do with a change of scenery,'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto started to travel farther north in order to get to the clearing that Yamato-sensei had told him about.

After ten minutes of traveling, Naruto noticed that something was off…the plants and animals were in more abundance here. The plants seemed to be larger and greener, the air fresher, and the animals seemed happier. When Naruto jumped down from a tree to get a drink from the river, he noticed that the water seemed to be sweeter than the water back in Konoha.

'_Is this what Yamato-sensei means by having the personal blessings of Hahaoya Tsuchi?' _

Naruto took a deep breathe, reveling in the fresh air before he jumped back up to the tree branch. As he jumped, he noticed something pressing against his breast pocket. He reached in it and pulled out Hinata's present.

'_Hehe, almost forgot that I had this.'_

Naruto put the box back in his pocket and continued on his journey.

He had run for twenty minutes before he stopped again. Off in the distance, he thought that he saw two figures walking towards him.

'_Is…is that Kiba? And Hinata-chan?'_

Naruto jumped to an even higher branch just in case his suspicions were wrong and the two figures were actually enemy shinobi. Getting the higher ground was a major advantage in any fight.

As the two figures walked closer to his concealed position, his suspicions were confirmed. They were both his classmates and fellow Konoha shinobi. However, something else caught his eye.

'_Are…are they holding hands? Why are they holding hands?'_ Naruto fretted.

Naruto's two classmates were indeed holding hands as they walked towards him. They both sat under a tree about thirty feet away from the tree that Naruto was hiding in. The two were facing the river, meaning that their backs were to him.

"Man, this training is intense! I'm so glad we get a half-hour break every two hours!"

"You a-a-are correct Kiba-kun. T-t-the training i-is rather i-i-intensive."

'_Are they dating? Am…am I too late?'_ Naruto wondered as fear gripped his heart. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw Kiba release Hinata's hand. Naruto felt the fear come back like a tidal wave as he saw Kiba place his arm over Hinata's shoulders.

"This is nice, isn't it Hinata-chan?"

"H-hai. The s-s-scenery is v-v-very beautiful."

"Eh…that too, but I was referring to us. You know, us as boyfriend and girlfriend hanging out together."

Naruto's breathe was stuck in his throat. Hinata-chan's response would either rekindle the chance that he had of getting together with her or shatter his dreams. _'Don't say hai Hinata-chan…please don't say hai…'_

"Hai, it is v-v-very nice, being t-t-together," Hinata answered. _'At least…at least I think it is.'_

Suddenly, Naruto couldn't breathe; his eyes shone with despair. He had to grab onto a branch nearby in order to stay in his tree. It felt as though he was being squeezed to death by one of Orochimaru's giant snakes. His heart started to beat faster and felt as though Sasuke had plunged his Chidori straight into his heart.

'_No…no…why? Why did I have to go meet the Summon Council? I should have hunted Hinata-chan down!'_

Kiba smiled and subtly pulled Hinata closer to him so her head was resting against his shoulder. Now this was perfect; it was how things should be, with no Naruto to get in the way.

Hinata froze as she felt Kiba pull her closer and she almost hit him when she realized that his action caused her head to rest on his shoulder. Despite how quick she was to agree to become Kiba's girlfriend, she didn't think that she was ready to do anything more than holding hands.

'_But do you love him or are you trying to drown your sorrow by jumping into the first relationship that you can?' _

The same question that had been plaguing her when she least expected it chose to pop up again. She was getting quite tired of hearing it to be honest, so she answered herself by firmly stating, 'Hai I love him!' While it didn't stop the question, it did stop it from being asked every hour. Now, it asked her at least four times a day.

Hinata let a small frown grace her face. She wasn't very comfortable in her position; his jacket smelled like sweat, blood, and dog. However, it smelled like a flower compared to Kiba-kun; she guessed that he hadn't taken a bath since they had left Konoha. Hinata didn't say anything though; she was far too timid to speak up and complain. Besides, Kiba-kun looked very comfortable and it was her job as his girlfriend to make sure that he was happy, right?

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. The two of them looked so happy that it made the pain in his heart hurt even more. He had to get out of here…he couldn't stand being in the presence of the happy couple anymore.

He turned around and was prepared to start heading back towards Konoha when he felt the Hinata-chan's present rub against him again. Naruto reached into his pocket and took out the box. He looked at it for a moment before he let go of it and watched as it fell down to the ground_. 'It's kinda funny…this is the only present that I ever got for Hinata-chan, and now she will never get it. I guess it's only right that this gift, the thing that I had hoped to start our relationship should stay where my dream of that happening was shattered,'_ he thought before he jumped off.

As he jumped from branch to branch, the pain in his heart continued to plague him. He sped up in order to try and leave the pain behind. Now, more than ever, he wished that his aneue was still with him; he desperately needed someone to talk to. _'Aneue…I need you,' _he thought to himself as tears started to obscure his vision. The tears flew behind him as he jumped from branch to branch.

--

Mikomi and the other boss summons were going over her otouto's training schedule when she felt Naruto become extremely anxious. In addition to being able to talk to one another, it appeared as though she could also feel his emotions, if they were strong enough. She hadn't really noticed it before because he was unconscious, but now that he was up and running, she could feel it.

She frowned; Naruto was just returning to Konoha, he shouldn't be feeling that anxious. For a moment, she considered contacting him, but she decided against it. 'He's probably just worried about meeting Hinata,' she told herself.

Suddenly, she gasped out loud as a wave of despair washed over her. The others around her turned and stared at her.

Hikari and Katsuya turned their concerned eyes towards their friend**. "Mikomi-chan, what is it?"** questioned Katsuya.

Mikomi shook her head. **"It…it's nothing,"** she lied. She didn't want them to know that her otouto was going through such strong emotions; if they did, they might take back their decision because he was a bit…unstable.

"**Tell us,"** pressed Hikair. **"You usually have a strong control over your emotions, so this must be something very important."**

The nine-tailed fox was about to make something up when she heard her otouto's cry for her. His action caused her to worry for his safety immediately. In all the years that she had been watching over him, he had never asked for help. His voice had never been so filled with pain, even when he had to tell Sakura that he had failed to keep his promise.

'**Something is wrong,'** she thought. '**Something is very, very wrong.'**

Mikomi looked at the members around her and sighed as she realized that she was backed into a corner. The only way that she would be able to help her otouto in a timely would be to tell the others what was going on.

"**It's…it's Naruto-niisan. Something is wrong with him, very wrong."**

Gamabunta's eyes widened. **"What? Is he being attacked? Does he need help?"**

"**I…I don't know. He sounds very sad, and he wished that I was there to help him,"** Mikomi admitted. **"Would it be alright if I contact him now?"**

"**Go ahead,"** Enma answered softly. Ever since the young shinobi had passed his trial, he had warmed up to the blonde. Even though they had barely interacted with one another, he was already looking forward to working with him as his new summoner. He couldn't wait until he taught Naruto how to fight with a staff.

Bahamut snorted. **"Hmph. Just tell him that if he's in a fight I expect him to call me or one of my clan members out for a fight. We could do with a good fight."**

Mikomi nodded her thanks and focused her thoughts on her Naruto.

'_**Otouto, are you alright?'**_

'_Aneue…aneue, is that you?'_

'_**Hai, it's me. Tell me, what's wrong?'**_

'_I thought you were busy planning my training schedule?'_ Naruto thought back, trying to divert the conversation to something else.

'_**That can wait. Now tell me, what's going on?!'**_ she roared.

'_It's….Hinata-chan,'_ Naruto replied gloomily.

'_**What's wrong with her otouto?'**_

'_She….she's dating Kiba.'_

Mikomi sighed; she didn't know what to say to make him feel better. What could she say? He had realized that the kunoichi that he loved wasn't Sakura but Hinata just before he had to go take the Trials. Was she supposed to tell him that being accepted by the Summon Council far outweighed any of his personal desires?

'_**Otouto…I don't know what to tell you but not to give up hope.'**_

'_Why? I saw them together, and they were happy! I have no chance, I don't know why I even thought I stood a chance. She's the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, while I'm just an orphan. Worse though, I'm the "Demon". I never stood a chance; I was foolish to think I did,'_ Naruto stated bitterly.

'_**Naruto! I don't want to hear you talking like that ever again, you hear me?'**_ Mikomi scolded. _**'You have gone through worse; you have lived through thirteen years of hell before you had some form of acknowledgement, and even then your teammates barely cared for you and your sensei favored the Uchiha! Don't let one event break you!'**_

'_I…I don't know what to do aneue! I wanted to be with her so badly…'_

'_**As badly as you wanted to be with Sakura?'**_

'_No…I wanted to be with her so much more.'_

'_**Otouto…just…just focus on your training okay? You need to get your mind off of them. Besides, it's not like they're engaged or anything. There's still a chance that the two of them will break up. I don't think that Kiba is the type that will be able to stay in a relationship for very long. To me, he seems as though settling down with one woman would not satisfy him.'**_ Mikomi admitted.

'_Maybe…maybe you're right. Arigato aneue.'_

'_**No problem otouto. If you ever need to talk again, you know I'm always here to listen, right?'**_

'_Yeah…and I'm sorry about breaking down like that. I don't know why I was so sad.'_

'_**Otouto, you were so sad because you thought you lost your chance of ever being with the first person that you truly loved.'**_

'_But what about Sakura-neechan? It never hurt this much when she rejected me,'_ Naruto argued.

'_**You never really liked her as a love interest; I think you were just asking her out to be put in the spotlight. By asking out one of the most popular girls in school, everybody knew who you were, even if it did earn you a bad reputation.'**_

'_Why does it still hurt?'_ questioned Naruto in a soft voice. Mikomi felt herself getting depressed; she was so used to hearing Naruto talk with such energy, that it felt wrong for him to be talking in such a dead voice.

'_**What you are experiencing is known as "heartbreak." Many people experience it at least once, but the first time is always the hardest.'**_

Naruto was still depressed though. _'Why…why did I have to wait? Why didn't I act earlier?'_

Mikomi sighed; she didn't want to do this, but it was the only way that she knew would get Naruto out of his funk.

'_**Naruto, when you get back to Konoha, go ahead and eat as much ramen at Ichiraku's as you want,'**_ Mikomi stated.

'_As…as much as I want?' _

'_**Hai. Just remember that I won't be there to burn all of those calories off for you, so you're going to have to work twice as hard to get stronger,' **_Mikomi warned.

'_Hai! Arigato Mikomi-neechan! I can't remember the last time you let me eat as much ramen as I want!' _Naruto smiled; he knew that his aneue was trying to cheer him up, and he really appreciated her efforts.

'_Aneue? Arigato…for everything,'_ Naruto replied softly.

'_**Don't worry about it otouto. I'm going to focus on planning your training schedule now. Will you be alright by yourself?'**_

'_I'll be fine. I'm sorry I had to interrupt you,'_ Naruto apologized.

'_**Like I said, don't worry about it otouto. If you ever need me again, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?'**_

'_Hai.'_

'_**Don't eat so much ramen that you'll blow up!'**_ Mikomi warned in a light tone.

Naruto smiled as he jumped from branch to branch. A moment later, he felt Mikomi-neechan's presence in his mind disappear. The young shinobi continued towards Konoha, desperately trying to think of the savory noodles that he was going to be inhaling very soon rather than the new couple that he had just seen.

To be honest, this was one of the few times that thinking of ramen didn't cheer him up.

--

"Where is the jinchuuriki of the Rokubi?"

"Pein-sama, we believe that the jinchuuriki is an old man currently living in the mountains of Iwagakure," Uchiha Itachi answered.

"Is he a dangerous?"

"I know not. He doesn't wear a hitai-ate, so we are unsure of his status as a shinobi."

"Good. If he isn't an active Iwa shinobi, then I doubt that the Tsuchikage will even notice that his absence."

"We're pretty sure he's a shinobi though," Hosigaki Kisame added in.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "That much is obvious yeah. Why would they seal a Bijuu in a civilian? Makes no sense, yeah?"

Kisame snarled at the blonde explosive user. "Shut it, or I'll bite your hands off!"

Deidara reached into his clay pouch and started to mold a life-size pigeon. "Yeah? I'd like to see you try! Or are you going to sit back and let Itachi fight for you, yeah?"

With another snarl, Kisame hefted Samehade off of his back and stabbed the blade into the ground. He started to unwrap it when he felt a pressure on his left shoulder.

"Now is not the time for your antics," Itachi stated in his ever present mono-tone.

"Hmph," the two stated before they crossed their arms and looked away.

"Now that you two have decided to act your age, let's move on. Kakuzu, have you Hidan found the location of the jinchuuriki of the Nibi?"

"Hai Pein-sama," Kakuzu answered. "The jinchuuriki, Nii Yugito, is a loyal Kumogakure shinobi."

"Loyal you say? Then we will not be able to retrieve her without the Raikage figuring out that we have no intention to stay true to our alliance."

"We could go in and get her out without anyone noticing us," Hidan confidently stated.

"Under normal circumstances, that would have been true. But now, do you really think that the Raikage wouldn't notice that his weapon is missing while they are preparing to invade Konoha?"

"So what do you want us to do?" Hidan asked.

"For now, we shall do nothing. There are only three Bijuu left, and those will be the hardest to abduct. As the time for the invasion draws nearer, then we will strike. But striking now would be a mistake. Like it or not, they will be helpful in weakening Konoha's defenses."

"Train. Train hard and don't die. Oh, Kakuzu? You and Hidan are to continue collecting bounties when you aren't training. We may need the money in the future."

"Why do we need to train? We're more than a match for anyone that we will be facing," Hidan questioned.

"That is true for one-on-one matches, but quality over quantity only goes so far. Even I would be hard pressed to win if I was to fight Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki at the same time," Pein stated.

"The Kyuubi jinchuuriki? He should be easier to kill than those monks at the Fire Temple. He's only a Genin!" Hidan retorted.

"Only because he has been training under Jiraiya for the last three years. He couldn't take the Chuunin Exams if he was constantly traveling, could he? Besides, he was stronger than Orochimaru when he released four tails of the Kyuubi; think of how strong he would be if he released all nine tails of the Kyuubi."

Pein's statement made Hidan stop and think about what his leader had just told him. While it was true that he couldn't die, it was true that he could lose his limbs, which was rather painful. And if Kakuzu died, then he wouldn't have anyone who could sew his limbs back together.

"I see. At least Jashin will be able to relish in more bloodshed," he admitted.

"You have your orders. We will meet again in seven months unless something comes up. Now, train hard and try not to draw attention to yourselves."

--

"**So what was wrong with your otouto?"** questioned Hikari.

"**It must have been rather bad for him to be so distressed,"** comented Katsuya. **"From what Tsunade-sama says, he seems to be rather tough."**

Mikomi sighed. **"Girl problems. He just found out that the girl he likes is already involved in a relationship with someone else."**

"**Sarutobi often told me that the most painful of all wounds came from losing one's loved interest,"** Enma wisely stated.

"**He should just get a whole list of females that he desires and then make each one of them his mate. That way, even if one of the females he likes is taken, he still has other girls to be with,"** Gamabunta stated.

"**My otouto will **_**not**_** become a pervert!"** Mikomi growled.

"**Bah,"** Bahamut snorted. **"He should challenge the other ningen to a duel to the death. The winner gets to feel the warm embrace of the female while the loser gets to embrace the cold clutches of death!"**

"**He will **_**not**_** be killing a fellow Konoha shinobi either, much less a clan heir! If he did, then the villagers and many of the shinobi would start a riot for his head on a stake. Also, his chance of becoming Hokage, slim as it already is, would be completely destroyed!" **Mikomi argued.

"**However,"** she added, **"should the need to kill this Konoha shinobi arise, then **_**I**_** will gladly rip him to pieces!"**

Hikari and Katsuya shared an amused glance with one another. They both thought that it was extremely cute to see Mikomi-chan go into overprotective-sister mode.

"**Now that we all agree to kill this shinobi, we should get back to planning Naruto's training. We have much to teach him," **Enma stated.

--

Kiba let out a sigh of content. He had been waiting for this moment ever since he laid his eyes upon Hinata-chan back in the Academy. He had done so many things back then just to get her to talk to him, but all of his attempts were in vain. She was only interested in Naruto, even if the blonde never paid any attention to her.

Naruto…just thinking about the blonde shinobi made his blood boil. He was so stupid that he failed the Genin Exam three times! The only reason that he passed was because Iruka-sensei favored him for some obscure reason.

Naruto's victory over him in the Chuunin Preliminary Rounds was nothing but a fluke. After all, who had heard of a shinobi who won a match because h farted? As for his victory over Neji…well, that was a simple match. Even an orphan would be able to take on a Hyuuga Branch member. Everyone knew that Branch members were pathetically weak, not only in comparison to Hyuuga Main Branch members, but everybody in general.

Why Hinata-chan was infatuated with Naruto for almost ten years, he would never know. All he knew and cared about was that Hinata-chan was his now. Well, maybe not completely his yet, but close enough to being his.

'_Man, I wish we didn't have to train again so soon,'_ Kiba thought. 'Who knows how far I would be able to get with Hinata-chan if I had some more time. Well, I'm not going to move for the rest of our break!'

Suddenly, Kiba decided that it would be in his best interest to take back that vow. He removed his arm from Hinata-chan's shoulders and stood up. "I gotta go take care of some business Hinata-chan. I'll be right back."

Hinata nodded, secretly glad that Kiba-kun's arm wasn't around her shoulders anymore.

Kiba turned around and jogged to a group of trees. When he reached it, he reached down to his pants and undid his fly.

A few moments later, Kiba pulled his fly back up and turned around, eager to get back to his Hinata-chan. As he was walking back, something at the base of a nearby tree caught his eye. He reached down and picked up a small box.

Kiba sniffed the box; it smelled funny. There were several scents on it that he didn't recognize, but one of the scents was vaguely familiar; he just couldn't place what or who they belonged to.

He tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Kiba raised an eyebrow as he saw what was inside. There was some sort of necklace with a blue gem of some sort attached to it.

'_Who would leave a necklace in the middle of the forest? Oh well, guess I'll give it to Hinata-chan. I'll just tell her that I bought it for her before we left Konoha.'_

Kiba smiled as he got closer to Hinata-chan. Maybe she would like the gift so much that she would kiss him!

"Oi, Hinata-chan! I just remembered that I have a gift for you!" announced Kiba.

"A g-g-gift? Y-you didn't h-h-have to get me a g-g-gift," answered Hinata.

"Don't worry about it, a boyfriend is supposed to shower his girl with gifts!" he stated as he handed her the box.

Hinata took the box and gingerly lifted the top. She gasped; inside was the most beautiful necklace that she had ever seen. For a moment, she didn't say anything; all she did was admire the beautiful blue gem on the necklace.

"Kiba-kun…it's b-b-beautiful! Arigato!"

Kiba scratched his head and laughed. "Eh, it's only fitting that someone as beautiful as you has some beautiful jewelry!"

The Hyuuga heiress took the necklace and attached it around her neck. "How d-d-do I look?"

"Amazing," Kiba answered_. 'I want to see you wearing that necklace…and nothing else,' _he thought.

Suddenly, the two heard a whistle, signaling that their break was over. Hinata snapped out of admiring Kiba's gift to her and ran to get back to their training area. Kiba sighed before he started to jog after his girlfriend.

--

'_Hmmm…report first or get some ramen?'_ Naruto wondered as he entered Konoha.

His stomach let loose a growl to remind Naruto that he hadn't eaten since that morning; Naruto chuckled sheepishly. _'Guess I'll get ramen first,'_ he thought.

Naruto was still feeling a bit depressed as he kept thinking about he had lost his chance of getting together with Hinata-chan. He didn't know why he even thought he stood a chance; she was the Hyuuga heiress, Kiba the Inuzuka heiress, and he the Demon brat of an orphan.

He had hoped that by sitting down at Ichiraku's Ramen his spirits would be lifted, but he was wrong. It just reminded him of how he had planned on taking Hinata to eat with him here on their first date.

'_Fat chance of that happening now,'_ he thought bitterly.

"Hey now, what's with the long face?" questioned Teuchi as he saw his favorite customer walk in.

"Nothing. Just get me a miso ramen and keep them coming," he answered tersely. Was it so obvious that he was upset?

"You got it. I just need to go to the back to get some more supplies," Teuchi smiled.

"What?" barked Naruto. "I got something on my face?" he asked the only other customer in the stand. The civilian shook his head nervously and ran out.

'_Heh, probably thinks that the 'demon' finally lost it.'_

As soon as he was in the back room, he frowned. Something was wrong with Naruto, that much was clear. What the problem was, he didn't know. Even if he did know what the problem was, he wouldn't be able to help him. Ayame on the other hand, would know exactly what to do. Well, at least he hoped that she would.

"Ayame! I need to talk to you!" Teuchi yelled as he saw Ayame in the storage room.

"What is it?"

"Something's wrong with Naruto, and I don't know what. I think you should go talk to him."

Ayame was instantly worried for her otouto. Most of the times he didn't come in to eat in a bad mood; he left his problems outside of their little ramen stand. For him to come in about to eat in a bad mood meant that it was something serious.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him now. You can make his food by yourself, right?"

Teuchi scoffed. "Hmph. Who do you think I am? Of course I can make his food by myself!"

Ayame smiled and walked out of the storage room and up to the counter. She frowned as she realized that her father was right about Naruto's mood. The young Genin was currently sitting there with a blank look on his face. Normally, he would already have grabbed a pair of wooden chopsticks, broken them apart, and sit there impatiently waiting for his ramen to arrive.

"Everything alright Naruto-kun?" she asked as she grabbed a rag and proceeded to wipe the counters.

Naruto just grunted in response. Now she knew that he was in a bad mooed (not that it had been questionable before). She stopped in front of him, put down his rag, and looked him straight in the eye. He held her gaze for a few seconds before he found the ceiling rather interesting.

"Otouto," she said quietly, "what's wrong?"

"Just bring me my ramen," he said, "and then leave me alone."

"Come on, tell me what's wrong," she pressed.

"I said nothing is wrong, damn it! I just want to eat some damn ramen!"

Ayame felt terrible; she didn't want to press Naruto for information, but she knew that talking about it was the only way that he would be able to deal with whatever was eating away at him.

"Naruto, it's been twelve years since we first met. I think I know when you're upset."

Naruto glared at her with hard, cold eyes. "Is that right? You think that a waitress would be able to tell when her 'favorite customer' is hungry and wants his damn food!"

"Naruto, please tell me what's wrong. You're not normally like this," she frowned as she questioned him.

"Damn it, I'm tired of all these questions! I'm going to go somewhere else to eat," he yelled as he got up from his stool and headed out of the ramen stand.

Ayame was stunned. Naruto had never left their stand without eating at least four bowls of ramen. She hadn't meant to push him so far that he would leave their stand, but he had to talk about whatever was bothering him. There was only one thing left to do.

Naruto was just about to walk into the streets when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. His shinobi mind immediately thought that he was under attack, but his logical side told him that he was being hugged.

"W…what are you doing?" he questioned.

"I'm hugging you otouto," she answered. "Remember how I used to hug you when we were younger?"

"Why? Why are you hugging me?"

"Because that's what family does. They hug each other to show that they care for one another. I guess I haven't been a good sister these past few years."

"What do you mean? You've been great to me!"

"I haven't hugged you in years. I haven't told you how much you mean to otousan and me. I haven't called you 'otouto' often enough. You're like family you know that don't you? Now please, tell me what's wrong?"

Ayame felt him start to shake as sobs tore through his body. Before she led him back inside, she closed the curtains and placed the 'closed' sign on the curtains. She sat him down at a stool and she sat on the stool next to him, positioning herself so she was staring at him.

"Now, tell me what's wrong otouto."

"Everything," he whispered.

"Tell me. You'll feel better if you get everything off of your chest," she coaxed him.

"'Well…there's this girl, Hyuuga Hinata. You know her right? You said she was the one who came here to eat ramen when I was gone. And there's this guy, Inuzuka Kiba. And…well…they're dating."

"I see. Is he mean or abusive to her?"

"No. Well…I don't think he is."

"Then what's the problem?" 'I know you don't want to say it otouto, but you need to admit why it's a problem before I can help you.'

"Well…I guess…I guess that I wanted to be the one who would be dating her."

"And why is that? I thought you liked that Sakura girl on your team?"

"Nah, I realized that I like her as a sister, not as a girlfriend or something."

"But you feel different about Hinata?"

"Yup. My stomach feels all funny and my heart starts to beat really fast. I don't know why it does that; I know I'm not sick because I've checked a bunch of medical scrolls and not a single disease have those symptoms. Sakura-neechan says that I'm in love though."

"Do you think you're in love with Hinata? I don't care what Sakura thinks, I want to know what you think."

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know? Love is a serious thing; it isn't right to start a relationship if you aren't fully committed to it," Ayame sternly stated.

"I mean…what is love? I never had any parents or siblings to love me when I was growing up, so I don't know what love is. How do I know I love her? Maybe I'm just allergic to her, I don't know. That's why I wanted to date her; maybe that way, I would have been able to find out if I really am in love with her or not."

Ayame winced as she heard her otouto's explanation. She should have realized that he had no idea what love was. It wasn't his fault that a majority of the villagers and shinobi were ignorant fools who couldn't tell the difference between a jail and the prisoner.

"Otouto…it's not your fault," she gently stated.

"But it is," Naruto insisted. "Don't you get it? If I had realized what I was feeling for her and acted on it earlier, then I could be eating a bowl of ramen with her right now instead of seeing her snuggling up next to Kiba."

"Otouto…" she whispered.

"I guess…I guess that people like me just aren't destined to be happy. Kami probably needs someone for everyone else to hate so people like me were made. You know that I'm a jinchuuriki, right?" Seeing Ayame nod, he continued.

"Well, I've met a few other jinchuuriki during my training trip, and none of them have been treated normally, with the exception of Gaara. But I think they accepted him because they needed him. As for the others…well, one is still treated like a weapon, and the other got tired of that life so he ran away and lives deep in the mountains."

"I don't think that any jinchuuriki has ever felt love," he finished with a sad smile. A few tears slid down his cheek.

Ayame put her arm around his shoulders and hugged him for all she was worth. She could feel the young shinobi shaking as he struggled to keep back the tears that threatened to come pouring out.

"It's okay otouto, you can let it out. I swear, I won't tell anyone," she whispered in his ear.

She sighed as she saw Naruto stubbornly shake his head. "I…I can't. I…I promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore…I'm not a baby, I'm a proud shinobi of Konoha!"

"Everybody needs to let it all out every once in a while," she argued. "If you keep everything bottled up inside of you, then you'll go crazy. Let it out, I won't tell anyone."

At the coaxing of Ayame, Naruto broke down. He cried for the first time since Sasuke had left. He cried tears of frustration, sorrow, and despair. He cried because Sasuke had left them. He cried because after everything he had done, the majority of Konoha still hated him. But he cried the hardest because he had lost Hinata-chan to Kiba.

Ayame ran her hand through Naruto's hair and sung a lullaby that her mother had sung to her when she was younger. As she held Naruto, she was amazed by how frail he seemed. He always seemed to be lager than life, but now…now all she saw was a heart-broken child who had gone through far more than anyone should have to have gone through.

Teuchi came by and placed a bowl of ramen in front of Naruto. He patted the young shinobi on the head and went back to the kitchen. It would be best if he kept the comforting to his daughter; he would probably say something insensitive and make the problem even worse.

Ayame frowned when she noticed that Naruto was still crying. He had come into their stand depressed before, but his spirits had always been raised when a bowl of ramen was placed in front of him. He was shaking like a frightened rabbit as he cried.

'_Otouto…how long have you kept all of these emotions pent up inside of you? Is this the real you, the one that you hide behind your smiles?'_

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto gave one final sob. "Arigato aneue, I guess I had to get it off of my chest and well, I guess it was a good thing to let those emotions out."

"Of course. Any time you need to let it out, you can always come to me, okay? Now, why don't you eat your ramen before it gets cold?" Ayame let go of Naruto and gave him a small smile.

"Hai," Naruto stated a bit more enthusiastically than before. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and broke them apart before he tore hungrily into his bowl of ramen. Teuchi brought out another bowl of ramen and placed it in front of Naruto.

"Keep them coming, right?"

"You got that right, Teuchi-ojiisan. And don't worry, I can afford it! I got more than enough money coming in now," Naruto answered in between mouthfuls.

"Otouto, you should slow down or else you'll get sick."

"Nah, I won't get sick. I'm hungry!" he said with a small smile. 'Besides, if I get sick maybe my stomach will hurt so bad that I won't be able to think about anything else.'

Ayame sighed; Naruto could be so stubborn at times. But that's what made him so unique, the fact that he was never willing to back down from what he believed in. Maybe that was why it was so painful to see Naruto so depressed, so broken down.

"You know, just because Hinata is dating someone else doesn't mean that you should give up all hope of getting together with her," Ayame said in an attempt to raise Naruto's spirits.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean that just because she's dating Kiba doesn't mean that she'll end up marrying him. Their relationship may only last a few weeks."

Naruto stared at Ayame with wide eyes filled with hope. "You mean…you mean I might not be too late?"

Ayame sighed. "Yes. It is very rare for people to marry the first person that they date."

"Man, here I was moping around when I had no reason to be! I fell like such an idiot now!" Naruto cheerfully responded.

Ayame just blinked at Naruto's sudden change in attitude. "You shouldn't act all happy because you want them to break up," she scolded. "It could be bad luck for you later on or if Hinata finds out that you were hoping that her relationship with Kiba wouldn't last, then I doubt she would want to date someone as insensitive as you."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he chewed his food. "Hmmm…I guess you're right. I don't really know much about relationships and girls. So what should I do in the meantime?"

"Hmmm…try getting closer to both of them. It's usually easier to go from friends to something more. And if it doesn't work out, then you'll probably make two good friends during the process."

"So…just hang out with them and get to know them better?"

"Exactly."

"When they come back from their training trip, then I'll start to get to know them better. For now though, I think I'm going to eat some more ramen."

Ayame giggled as she saw him hungrily eye the bowl of ramen that her father was carrying out. She got up, patted Naruto on the shoulder and went to join her father in the kitchen. If she was right in her suspicion that Naruto was using ramen as his comfort food, then her father would need help in the kitchen to make enough ramen.

After eating fourteen bowls of ramen, Naruto remembered that he was supposed to go talk to Tsunade-baachan about his training and to have a check-up. He placed a pile of bills on the counter and got up from his chair and exited the stand.

"Oi, I'll see you two soon! And Ayame-neechan…arigato for everything," he said with a smile.

The father-daughter duo watched the young shinobi run towards the Hokage Tower.

"Do you think he still has a chance of getting together with Hinata?" Teuchi asked his daughter.

"I do. You've seen her watch him eat from time to time. She loves him, even if she doesn't know it. The same for Naruto; you saw how he acted when he first came in, right?"

"He was all moody and depressed. Acted a lot like the Uchiha used to before he left Konoha."

"I think…I think that's the real Naruto."

"Huh?"

"The smiles are simply a mask."

"You mean that he's not really happy?"

Ayame stared at her father with an incredulous look on her face. "Are you serious? You've seen how he's been treated, do you really think that he could be happy?"

"Well…no, but…I dunno, I never thought that he would be the type of person who would let his anger get the better of him."

"I don't think he's angry, I think that he just…exaggerates his emotions in order to keep his mask up."

"That makes sense I guess."

"Anyways, I think the person that we saw at the beginning is the person that is behind Naruto's smiles."

Teuchi just stood still for a moment, contemplating what his daughter had just told him. "That Hyuuga girl better not break his heart," he stated gruffly.

--

'_I miss you so much Asuma-kun…'_

Kurenai was staring at the sky. Currently, she was on one of her forced breaks. Yamato-san had forced her to take a ten minute break every hour from training in order to make sure that she didn't harm her unborn child.

To be honest, she liked training her team even if she found that she would start to tire out sooner than before. However, she would still push herself to continue. She didn't want to be like so many other kunoichi who gave up their career after having a child, so she continued to train.

In addition to keeping her skills honed, she was also trying to keep her mind occupied. If she was training, then she wouldn't be thinking of Asuma-kun and how much she missed him. Also, after a hard day of training, she would be so exhausted that she would fall into a deep sleep and not have nightmares of his death. Even though she wasn't there during his last fight, she had Shikamaru explain all the details to her, so she felt as though she had been there.

However, Yamato-san had realized what she had been doing, and he forced her to stop. The first time that she refused to take a break, he had used his Mokuton ability and created several roots to burst out of the ground and hold her still for ten minutes. After that, she decided that she would willingly take the breaks rather than having to be forcibly restrained. Besides, just because she had to sit down didn't mean that she couldn't think of new ideas to use in some of her genjutsus.

Normally, thinking of the numerous ways that she could improve her genjutsus would keep her mind occupied, but not today. Today, her thoughts were filled of Asuma-kun and their child that she was carrying. She couldn't help but wonder if the child would be a boy or girl. Would their child look like her or more like Asuma-kun?

But what worried her the most was the fact that their child would grow up without a father. She wasn't worried about taking care of her child that much-her friends were more than willing to help her out. What she was really worried about was how her child would grow up without having a strong male figure in their life.

And what if she died on a mission? Who would take care of her child? Her parents had passed away a few years ago, and she was an only child. She supposed that the Sarutobi clan could take care of her child, but Asuma had never fully reconciled with his clan. Under normal circumstances, Kurenai would have appointed Hinata-chan as the godmother, but seeing as Hinata wasn't well liked by her clan, Kurenai had doubts that the Hyuuga clan would welcome an outsider into their walls.

At least Shikamaru, Chouji, and Naruto had all offered to help. If Naruto wasn't hated by so many people in Konoha, Kurenai would have named him as. After all, she had a feeling that Naruto would make a great father.

"Kurenai-sensei, how are you?"

The Jounin was pulled out of her thoughts over Asuma-kun as she heard a voice speak up from behind her. She turned around and saw a concerned Hyuuga staring intently at her.

"I'm fine Hinata-chan. You don't have to ask me how I'm doing during every one of my breaks you know," she replied in an exasperated tone.

"I know, b-but I c-c-can't help but w-worry. You are p-pregnant."

"I'm not due for nine months or so."

Suddenly, what the Jounin had just said resonated through her head. _'Oh Kami-sama…I'm due in nine months…and that's when the invasion is scheduled! I won't be able to help with the defenses because I'll be stuck in a hospital!'_

"I still t-think that you should be back in Konoha resting," Hinata replied stubbornly, unknowingly bringing her sensei out of her thoughts for the second time that day.

"I'm fine! I'm staying here to oversee your training! It's my duty as a sensei!"

"G-gomen Kurenai-sensei," Hinata replied in a subdued voice.

Kurenai sighed; she hadn't meant to sound so harsh. "Hinata-chan, I'm not mad at you. It's just that I want to be here with you guys, understand? We just have to agree to disagree with my presence."

"Hai."

"You've grown so much in three years Hinata-chan. Back when our team was first created, you would have never dared to disagree with me. I'm so proud of you."

Hinata's face lit up like a light bulb. After all these years, she still wasn't used to getting praise. Kurenai just chuckled at her student's embarrassment.

As Kurenai was turning her attention from Hinata-chan to the scenery, she saw something sparkle in the corner of her eyes. She focused her attention on the mysterious object and saw a beautiful necklace hanging over the young Hyuuga's jacket.

"Hinata-chan, that's a beautiful necklace. Who gave it to you?" she questioned slyly.

'_Who gave her that necklace, and when did she get it? Maybe she got it before we left, she is usually the first one at our meetings, but when we left she wasn't the first one there, Shino was. Oh, I hope Naruto-san gave Hinata-chan that necklace before he left. They would make such a great couple. Blonde Hyuuga babies would be so cute!'_ she mentally squealed.

"Ano…my b-b-boyfriend gave it t-to me," she responded with a slight blush on her face.

"Oh? And who is this lucky boy?"

"Ut's…K-kiba-kun."

Kurenai felt her eyes widen in surprise. Kiba? She thought that her student was in love with the blonde jinchuuriki, not the Inuzuka heir.

"Hinata-chan, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what about Naruto-san? I thought you held very strong feelings for him."

Hinata's eyes darkened as she answered her sensei's question. "Naruto-san…is currently i-involved with Sakura-san," she stated in a harsh tone.

'_I don't think I've ever heard Hinata-chan refer to him as anything other than "Naruto-kun" before. Obviously, something happened to cause Hinata-chan to stop using the "-kun" suffix, but what? Furthermore, is it my business to get involved with her love life?'_

"Hinata-chan…are you happy with Kiba-kun? Does he treat you well?"

Hinata froze for a second. Her sensei's question sounded awfully similar to that of her conscience.

"H-hai. He is very good to me. He e-e-even gave me this n-necklace."

"So you are happy with him?"

"Hai," she answered in a firm voice and with a smile tugging at her lips.

Despite her student's appearance and tone, she knew that what she had just been told wasn't the whole truth. For just a split second, uncertainty had flashed through her pale eyes. And her smile wasn't natural, it was forced.

"Well then…I wish you happiness Hinata-chan. You should get back to your training."

'_Well…as long as he doesn't hurt her, I won't step in.'_

"Arigato sensei."

As soon as Hinata left to resume her training, Kurenai resumed her previous train of thought.

Why had Hinata-chan started a relationship with Kiba-kun? She had rejected him often enough, so why did she accept now? What was going on?

But most importantly, what was Hinata hiding behind that smile of hers?

--

Tsunade sighed in frustration. She had been stuck in her office with Jiraiya all day making battle plans. The source of her frustration was one Uzumaki Naruto.

The reason that the blonde shinobi was causing so many problems was because neither of the two in the office knew if he had passed the Trials he was taking.

They had faith in his skills, but unless they had solid proof of his success, neither were willing to place the safety of Konoha on the line.

Creating both offensive and defensive plans were extremely hard to do when they didn't know what type of summons that Naruto would be able to use if he succeeded in the Trials.

For example, it wouldn't make sense to stem the enemy forces into the forests of Konoha if Naruto's strongest summons were water or air-based summons. So until Naruto came back and hopefully reported his success, then the two students of the Sandaime Hokage had to create plans whose success did not depend on Naruto's presence.

As horrible as it was to even think of it, Konoha's success in the future attacks primarily depended upon Naruto, or rather the Kyuubi's strength. It was common knowledge that Kumo had their own jinchuuriki, and there were documented reports of her using her Bijuu's power to great success. Naruto was one of few Konoha and Suna shinobi who would be able to defeat Kumo's jinchuuriki in combat.

Also, if Naruto accessed three tails worth of chakra from Kyuubi, he would be able to defeat multiple enemy squadrons with ease. And if worse came to worse, then they could herd the enemy shinobi far away from any allied locations and have Naruto use four tails worth of chakra.

Tsunade frowned. She was thinking of Naruto as nothing more than a weapon, and that disturbed her far more than she would have liked to admit. The Godaime Hokage looked through a few of the plans that were completed and ready to be put to use if they were needed, and her displeasure grew even more.

Most of the plans had Naruto liberally using Kyuubi's chakra in order to decimate the enemy forces. She hadn't even taken into account of what killing all those people would do to the young shinobi's mind. Within the course of a day, Tsunade had done what she and her sensei had fought so hard not to do-turn Naruto into a weapon. In that sense, Tsunade was no better than Danzou.

"Oi, Tsu-chan, if you don't get rid of that frown, it'll be stuck on your face permanently!" Jiraiya chuckled.

A scowl immediately replaced her frown. She started to pound her right fist into her open left hand.

"Care to repeat that again?"

Jiraiya held up both of his hands in a placating manner.

"Ehh…not really. Just had to do something to get you to stop worrying about the gaki, you know?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn't voiced her concerns regarding Naruto, so how had he known what she was thinking of?

"Oh, and what makes you say that I was thinking of Naruto?"

Jiraiya waved one of his hands around lazily before he moved it behind his head, along with his other hand.

"Eh, just the fact that you were clutching at the area where your grandfather's necklace used to be. Plus, your frown started to deepen as you went over the plans that primarily focused on Naruto releasing as much of Kyuubi's chakra as he can handle without blowing himself up."

Tsunade sighed; she couldn't hide what she was thinking about from her teammate any longer.

"Am I…am I doing the right thing? Using Naruto as a weapon?"

"Hai."

"Then I really am no better than Danzo," she replied sadly.

"No," he stated in a firm voice. "You are not a thing like that traitor. You actually care for Naruto's wellbeing, while Danzo only cares for the power that Naruto could give him."

"But I'm still using him as a weapon!"

"Yes, but you actually care about his wellbeing! If you insist upon seeing his as a weapon, then he is your granduncles Raijin, and you would do nothing to harm it! You clean it off after every kill and never let blood stain its handle; after the fight, you take care of it as if it were your own child. And when it is too old to be used as a weapon, you would still take care of it as if it were still in its prime."

"Danzo on the other hand, wouldn't take nearly as good care of the Raijin as you would. The only form of care he would give would be to make sure that it is still able to cut people. He would let the blood stain its handle and never bother to wipe it off. As soon as it is too old to kill, he would dispose of it."

By the end of Jiraiya's tirade, Tsunade was in tears. She had never been so moved by her teammate's words before. She stood up and walked to the front of her desk and embraced the Gamma Sennin in a hug.

"Eh…what? You aren't drunk, are you Tsu-chan?" he asked as he awkwardly returned her embrace.

"No," she said, her voice slightly muffled as she buried her head in his chest. "I just…I thought that I was starting to view Naruto as nothing more than a weapon. But…thanks to you, I was able to see that I was doing the right thing."

Jiraiya sighed in frustration. It would seem that Tsunade was more shaken up than he had previously thought. He raised one hand and ran it through the Godaime's hair. Suddenly, he heard her sobbing. Jiraiya was stunned; he had only seen his teammate cry on two occasions, and that was when Nawaki and Dan had died. While he had skill dealing with women, he had no skill whatsoever when it came to comforting them.

"Shhh…it'll be okay. Don't worry about it; I'm sure that you didn't mean anything by it."

Tsunade sniffled; she couldn't believe that she was getting so emotional. "Don't get used to being hugged Jiraiya."

Jiraiya had to fight to keep his grin from surfacing. "Wouldn't dream of it Tsu-chan, wouldn't dream of it.

"Ano…I can come back later if you two are busy…"

The two Sannin immediately released one another and backed away. Jiraiya looked a bit sheepish, while Tsunade was blushing furiously.

"Not a word of what you just saw to anyone, hear me Gaki?" Tsunade hissed.

"Yup," he answered with a glint in his eyes. "Not a word to anyone. But of course, that doesn't forbid re-acting what I just saw…" he trailed off ominously.

Suddenly, Naruto found himself embedded in the wall, with plaster falling on his head.

"You will do no such thing!" Tsunade roared as she walked towards the dazed shinobi.

Naruto spat out a mouthful of plaster before he responded to her threat. "Jeez, learn how take a joke Baachan! I mean, if you keep on hitting me, I'm going to start thinking that you think of me as a punching bag that you just want to throw away."

The young shinobi's words hurt the older Hokage far more than he had expected; in fact, he hadn't even expected them to be hurtful, he thought it was just another one of their insults that the two threw at one another. Therefore, he was more than surprised when he saw tears glistening in her eyes and when she rushed forward and embraced him in a crushing hug.

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt her tears drop onto his jacket. He awkwardly returned her embrace. He didn't have much experience with comforting people. It wasn't his fault, it was just that he had rarely received hugs when he was growing up, seeing as he a majority of Konoha's population saw him as nothing more than a demon.

"N-naruto, is that how you think I view you as? As something that I would throw away as soon as you lose your value? Like a broken kunai?"

Her last statement made Naruto even more confused. A broken kunai? He hadn't said anything about a broken kunai, much less a perfect one.

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

Tsunade just embraced the young shinobi who she viewed as a son. "Do you think that I would cast you aside like a piece of trash? Because if you do, you're wrong! I will never stop caring for you!"

"Of course I know that you care about me! I mean, you took a few slashes and stabs from Orochimaru's Kusanagi just to protect me! If you thought that every insult that I throw at you means that I don't care about you, then I won't ever insult you again!"

With those words, Tsunade's fear that she hadn't done enough to express how much she cared about him disappeared. She gave Naruto a tight squeeze before she let go of him and retreated behind her desk.

"No, it's fine. To be honest, I enjoy our daily banters."

"So do I Baachan. If you don't mind me asking, what brought that about?"

Neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade were willing to look him in the eye. Jiraiya was suddenly extremely busy examining one of his kunais, and Tsunade was trying to shove several scrolls underneath a pile of paperwork.

Naruto quickly grabbed one of the scrolls out of Tsunade's hands and quickly read it, ignoring the Godaime's orders for him to return the scroll.

After he finished reading it, he placed the scroll back on the desk. Tsunade sat in her chair with a stricken look on her face, just waiting for Naruto to explode in indignant fury for being used as a weapon. She clutched the arms of the armrests on her chair when she saw him open his mouth.

"Why the long face Bacahn? You trying to be a horse?" he said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Nani?" Of all the things she imagined him saying, telling her a joke was the last thing she expected him to do.

"I'm a weapon Hokage-sama, and it would be foolish of you not to use me as one," he said, as his grin shifted into a sad smile.

"Naruto, you are not a weapon! Don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise," she ordered in a harsh tone.

"Hokage-sama, all shinobi are weapons, no matter what anyone says." Seeing that Tsunade was about to argue with him, he raised one hand to slinece her. "Please, let me finish explaining."

"Shinobi are used as a village's weapon, whether it is on missions or in defense of said village. The only thing that separates Konoha from other villages is that the Hokage actually cares for their 'weapons'."

Tsunade had to stifle a gasp of happiness. What Naruto just said was exactly what Jiraiya had told her moments ago, but it reassured her so much more when it came out of the Jinchuuriki's mouth.

"And in my case, along with all the other Jinchuurikis, we are often the strongest and sharpest of weapons. If the other Konoha shinobi are an assortment of kunai and swords, then I would be a zanbato in terms of raw strength."

Tsunade quickly wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes. Despite Naruto's assurances that it was okay for her to use him as a weapon, she still felt bad. It seemed as though Naruto always got the short straw in everything he did.

"So Gaki, how did the Trials go?"

Naruto face broke into a wide smile.

"I passed of course! Did you think that I would fail?"

The two Sannin smiled at Naruto. Words couldn't express how proud they were of him. To their knowledge, no mortal had ever undergone the Trials, much less passed them.

"Well, what happened?" Tsunade pressed.

"Well, you might want to take a seat," he said taking a seat himself. As soon as Jiraiya took a seat next to Tsunade, he started to tell them of his Trials. By the time he finished, the two Sannin were in complete awe.

"So let me get this straight," Jiraiaya stated. "You had to fight the boss of the Dragon clan?"

"Yup."

"And since you did so well during the Trials, you are now the summoner of five clans, two of which have never had human summoners before?" Tsunade questioned.

"Yup."

Jiraiaya shook his head in amazement. "Only you Gaki. Only you would be able to pull off something that should be impossible."

"Well, did you expect anything less of me?"

"Well, with you being able to summon from five clans, we can create hundreds of new plans! Plus, with the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan behind you, we can almost guarantee that we will have control of the skies!" Tsunade proclaimed excitedly.

"And, seeing as you have Enma's blessings, we can set up destructive ambushes in the forests around Konoha!" Jiraiya gushed.

Naruto decided that asking Tsunade now if he could be excused from his team's training now, while she was in a good mood, was the best time.

"Ano…Hokage-sama, I would like to request your permission to be allowed to skip Team Seven's training period!" Naruto said in a rush.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that? I mean, you did come up with the plan after all."

"Well…you see, the members on the Summon Council want me to train with them so I'll be able to use their respective clans to their full extent. They said that during the war, my primary teammates will be from their clans, not my fellow shinobi."

"I don't like it," Tsunade proclaimed. "You're basically going against what we teach all of our shinobi-teamwork and dependence upon one another"

"But you have to admit Tsu-chan, the Summon Council has a point. It would be a waste if we didn't let Naruto get the proper training. I would have never been able to develop the Hermit Mode if I didn't spend months of training with the Toad Clan," Jiraiya argued.

"They said that I could spend two months training with the others, either with Team Seven or with everyone."

Tsunade rubbed her eyes in frustration. "When will you be training with the others?"

"Hmm…I was thinking about one month with Team Seven and then one month with everyone else."

"I will excuse you from the training trips on two conditions: One-you have to come back to the village for one weekend every month and give Jiraiya and me updates on your progress. If you are not progressing as well as you should be, then I will order you to come back. Two-you have to come back and carry out any mission should you be needed," Tsunade stated.

"Hai, I agree to the terms."

"Very well then, you may go. I'm sure you're eager to learn some new ninjutsu techniques with your new summons."

Naruto vigorously nodded his head. "Oh, you have no idea…." He started to walk out the door when he suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh, Hokage-sama? Do you have a minute?"

"What do you need now?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Ano…well, the Summon Council wants you to give me a medical check-up to make sure that being in the Spirit Realm didn't damage my body. They really don't know if there are any negative consequences because no human has eve gone to the Spirit Realm before."

Tsunade jumped out of her seat and quickly pushed medical chakra to her hands as she ran a diagnostic over Naruto. While she was checking him, she berted him.

"You baka! Why would you leave something as important as your health for last? You almost forgot all about it too, didn't you?! This should have been the first thing you said, not the last!"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Eh…well, I was just so excited that I couldn't wait to tell you that I'm the first summoner for two clans of legendary animals!"

Jiraiya shook his head in amusement. No matter what happened to his student or how much he matured, he would still have that childish innocence around him.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't be the summoner for very long if you got sick from being in the Spirit Realm for too long or something like that. How's he doing Tsu-chan?"

Tsunade pursed her lips. "Hmm…I can't see any lasting side effects…at least, not yet. As far as I can tell, you have some sort of…I don't know a residue around you. It's not harmful to others, but it could be harmful to you. I want you to come back at least once a week in order to run more diagnoses on you. If it becomes too deadly, then I will forbid you from training in the Spirit Realm, you understand?"

Naruto nodded his head. "I understand. I mean, how much use would I be if I get crippled form spending too much time there or something? That it? If it is, then I'm going to head back to Wave Country and start training with the different clans."

Tsunade nodded her head. "You may go. Oh, and Naruto? Good luck. And don't be afraid to come back to Konoha if you are wounded or what not."

"Okay, I will. And don't forget, if you need me for a mission, just have Ero-sennin send me a toad to tell me or something. And if I get anymore information on the invasion, I'll send it your way. See you in a week Baachan!" he shouted as he ran out of her office.

The two Sannin looked stared at Naruto's retreating form with an affectionate look.

"I don't know how, but that boy never leaves without making me smile," Tsuande stated.

Jiraiya nodded his head in consent, with a small smile on his face. "Hai, he has a special ability-those who don't hate him for harboring the Kyuubi always seems to have their day brighten up when he visits."

Suddenly, Jiraiya's face became serious. "So what are your theories on the side-effect of spending prolonged periods of time in the Spirit Realm? And don't bother trying to lie and say that you don't have any, because I know that you weren't telling Naruto everything."

Tsunade started to frown. "You're right, I did come up with a few theories, but none of them are good. That's why I want him to come back once a month for check-ups, that way I can see if anything happens."

"So what's the problem?"

"Well, summons are basically constructed of chakra, and I'm assuming that the Spirit World is heavily composed of chakra as opposed to our world being composed of atoms. And it's been proven that people can die if they're exposed to large amounts of raw chakra for extended periods."

"Really?"

"Obviously, or I wouldn't have said so."

"Then why haven't all the Kages died? Kages have huge amounts of chakra," Jiraiya argued.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. Sometimes, her teammate could be so stupid. "Because it's their own chakra. Obviously it won't harm them. But exposure to large amounts of foreign chakra _is_ lethal."

"That's one of the reasons why summoners sign the contracts with blood-something about signing your name in blood defends the summoner from dieing from exposure to all the chakra that the summons leak out."

"Then why would the gaki be in trouble? He signed the contracts for all the clans."

Tsunade shook her head. "It's not the summons themselves that I'm worried about, but the environment that he'll be in. If their world is composed of chakra, then who knows what could happen to his health?"

Jiraiya massaged his head. "Ugh…that gaki gives me so many headaches…I swear, he gives me even more problems than his parents did."

Tsunade grinned. "Oh, I still remember Minato and Kushina chasing you around when you were doing anything remotely perverted."

Jiraiya shook his head. "I still can't believe that a woman seven months into her pregnancy could run so fast…"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Are you telling me that you peeked on her while she was pregnant?"

"No! Even I have standards…besides, who would want to read an Icha Icha about a pregnant lady?" Seeing that Tsunade was starting to lose her temper, he raised up two hands in a placating manner. "Eh, as I was saying, no, I didn't peek on her."

"What I did do though, was make fun of her for eating so much ramen, especially with those naruto fishcakes in them. I told her that her son would grow up addicted to ramen, rather than being the maelstrom that the character in my book was supposed to be."

Tsunade let a small grin creep on her face. "Looks like your prediction was right, huh? Their kid _is_ so addicted to ramen."

The two remaining Sannin shared a laugh before they got back to writing new battle plans.

--

Naruto found himself once again outside the gates of Konoha and heading towards Wave Country. He started running as fast as he could, for a few reasons.

First, was he wanted to beat his time of reaching Tazuna's village. Second, he wanted to start training with the different clans as soon as possible. Finally, he wanted…or rather, he needed to burn off all of the calories that he had gained from indulging in his ramen. Seeing as Mikomi-neechan wasn't there to burn off his calories

During his training trip, Naruto had realized that the only reason that he wasn't larger than Chouji was because his aneue had been burning all of the extra calories that he had been consuming. She was also the reason that he was still alive; if it wasn't for her chakra which she used to sustain his body, then he would have died of malnutrition. He had been quick to rectify that problem as soon as he left Konoha on his trip.

Before he knew it, Naruto had reached Tazuna's house. Before he could open the door, the door opened and Inari jumped out brandishing a kitchen knife. Naruto quickly grabbed the boy before he accidentally harmed himself.

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

"Aniki, I was just practicing my moves! While you were gone, I taught myself how to fight with a knife! I wanted to get a head start on learning how to use kunai," proclaimed Inari.

"Inari, didn't I tell you that I would train you? You didn't have to start without me, you could have been seriously hurt! Or worse, you could have harmed your Okassan or Ojiisan!"

Inari finally realized that what he was holding was a deadly weapon, and dropped it. If it hadn't been for Naruto's fast reflexes, he would have been missing a few toes. Luckily though, he managed to move his foot out of the way.

Naruto sighed. "Look Inari, I'll teach you how to use a kunai and shuriken, as long as you promise me that you'll only practice under my supervision or one of my clones until I tell you otherwise, okay?"

"Okay! Can we start now?"

Naruto just chuckled. "No, I have to go to sleep, because I need to start training tomorrow. Besides, isn't it your bedtime?"

Inari frowned. "Aww, but I want to train!"

"You know, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. I always wanted to train, and a lot of times I would train myself to exhaustion and wake up in the training fields."

"Then why can't we train now?" whined Inari.

"Does your mother know that you were practicing your skills with one of her kitchen knives?"

Inari immediately paled and ran back into the house and straight to his room.

Naruto just shook his head in amusement and picked up the knife from the ground. "Judging from his reaction, I think that I can safely assume that Tsunami told him not to touch her knives. Guess I better bring this in."

As Naruto walked into the house, he heard humming coming from the kitchen and assumed that Tsunami was doing dishes. He walked in and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, you surprised me! Is that my knife you're holding?"

"Hai. Inari was practicing with it; too bad it's a bit large for a kunai. Oh, I guess I should have asked for your approval before I offered to teach him how to wield kunai and shuriken. I hope you aren't to upset with me."

Tsunami just smiled and shook her head. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just surprised that he didn't ask you earlier. I don't mind; in fact, it might be good for him to learn how to use them. It might make him stop from talking about how he wishes that he were a shinobi. I'm just worried that he might cut off a finger or something."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to supervise his training at all times. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, I won't teach him to juggle kunai until later."

Tsunami's face paled as she heard Naruto's statement. "Kunai…juggling….You will do no such thing!" she yelled.

Naruto started laughing. "I'm just joking Tsunami! Of all the shinobi I've met, I'm the only one who actually does juggle kunai. Losing a finger is that great of a risk, but it is rather painful to have your hand impaled by a few kunai, not to mention that it could cause paralysis in the wounded hand. But I've never had to worry about lasting injuries due to my…condition."

"You've been through a lot that no one should have to go through," Tsunami said with a sad smile. "I still can't get over the fact that you're not a crazy sociopath or something. You're will power must be unbreakable."

"So I've been told, so I've been told. Even I don't know how I managed to stay relatively sane. Looking back at all the things that have happened to me, I don't know how I managed to get by without killing anyone. When I think of some of the worst things that had happened to me, I get so mad that I wish that I had killed them. I don't know why I didn't."

Tsunami smiled and embraced the young man. "You must have some very special people watching over you."

"Special people?" Naruto questioned.

"You know angels and other spiritual deities. I know that your parents are watching over you."

"How do you know that? How do you even know that they're dead? For all anyone knows, they could still be alive and they just abandoned me because they think that I'm nothing more than a demon!"

Tsunami felt Naruto shake in her embrace, and she tightened her embrace. "Naruto…I know that no parent would ever leave their child, especially not one as special as you. I know that whoever your parents are, that they are very proud of you."

"But how do you know?"

"Because I'm a mother, and I would never abandon my little Inari, even if he carried all nine of the Bijuu. He's part of me, and I spent close to ten months carrying him around and suffering; there's no way I would let all of that work go to waste."

"Do you think that my parents loved me?"

"I'm sure of it."

"If they saw me now, do you think that they would be proud of me?"

"Of course. Just ask any of the citizens in this town, all of them would be honored to call them your family. I know that all of the mothers wish that they had you as a son and that their children will act like you. Several expecting mothers are naming their children after you; in fact, there are already a few toddlers named 'Naruto'."

"Did you know that a favorite game of the children of our village is 'Battle on the Bridge'? A group of children get together and reenact your battle…or well, at least what they think happened, which is rather accurate. They always argue over who gets to be you, and they never go home until they have all gotten to play as you at least once."

"I can honestly say that I am sure that your parents are extremely proud of you."

Naruto stifled a sob before answering. "Arigato Tsunami," he said, breaking off the hug. "If it's okay, can I stay here the night?"

"Of course. You can stay here as long as you want to."

"Ano…could I stay here for about seven months then?"

"Sure. If you don't mind, can you tell me why?"

"I'll be spending a lot of time training here with the Summon Clans that I just earned the right to work with. I'll be gone for two months when I go train with my teammates though."

"You're room is still ready, I just tidied it up."

"Arigato Tsunami."

As Naruto walked into his room, he sent a silent prayer to the Sandaime Hokage for giving Team Seven the mission to guard Tazuna; if he hadn't had given them that mission, then he would have never met Tazuna's wonderful family.

--

Hinata sat under the shade of a tree. They were having their last training session before they would call it a night. For tonight's training session, Yamato-sensei had decided to spar with each of them individually.

Hinata had gone first and while she didn't think she did very well, her teammates and sensei said otherwise. Well, Kiba-kun's opinion didn't really count because he was her boyfriend and had to say nice things like that. But the others had praised her for managing to use her Byakugan to look for the roots coming out from the ground. Many Hyuuga never bothered to look underneath them despite their ability to have an almost perfect three hundred and sixty degree angle of vision.

In her opinion, Shino-kun had done much better. He had used Henge to make himself look like one of his Kikachu bugs before he became part of his Mushi Bunshin. When the Mushi Bunshin was dispelled, he landed on Yamato-sensei, and undid his Henge. He managed to put a kunai to Yamato-sensei's throat before a vine came from behind Shino-kun and entangled him. When asked where he came up with the ingenious idea of using Henge, he simply told them that he just did what Naruto-san did to Kiba-kun during their Preliminary Match in the Chuunin Exams.

Right now, Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun were sparring with Yamato-sensei. Neither one seemed to be doing much better. They were using the same attack pattern over and over, despite Yamato-sensei's teaching of never using the same attack over and over.

"That necklace is new, is it not?"

Hinata nearly jumped in shock. Sitting right next to her was Shino-kun. "S-shino-kun, I d-didn't h-hear you t-t-there."

"Did Kiba-san give you that necklace?"

"Hai. I-it is very b-b-beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is. However, my bugs are telling me that there is something familiar about it."

"What?"

"That, I do not know. All I know is that it reminds them of something. But there are more important matters that we need to speak of."

"What do w-w-we need to t-talk about?"

"Before I say anything, know that what I am about to say is based on logic and observations, my feelings have nothing to do with what I am about to say."

"O-of course. W-what is it that you need to tell me?"

"It is in regards to Kiba-san's behavior toward you. I do not believe that he actually loves you. I think that he is more interested in the more…primal aspect of relationships."

"Nani?!"

"I am not the only one who has seen the way that he stares at you when you are not looking. In addition, I have often had to restrain him from peeking on you while you bathe during missions. There are many other reasons that have led me to this conclusion."

"T-that may be so, but n-now he is my b-b-boyfriend," she answered in a wavering voice. "I'm s-s-sure that he'll change."

"Maybe. I just wanted to be sure that you knew of his previous actions. Should he harm you in any way, be it emotionally, mentally, or physically, just let me know and I will take care of it."

The two of them didn't say another word during Kiba's spar. One was observing the spar, while the other was contemplating recent decisions.

Now that she was confronted with it, Hinata couldn't deny the facts that Shino had just given her. Was he right? Did Kiba-kun just see her as a hole to be filled?

'_You aren't trying to drown your sorrow by dating someone else are you?' _the voice in her head repeated.

Hinata squished that voice down. She had a great boyfriend. He even gave her a beautiful necklace, despite the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere. Besides, no one every tried to 'drown their sorrow by dating someone else'. That would be ridiculous; it made just as much sense as trying to drown one's sorrow with alcohol. Utterly ridiculous.

Right?

--

Naruto let out a content sigh as he slid under the covers of his bed. Traveling back and forth from Konoha was so tiring. His feet hurt and his muscles burned, but at least he was getting some good training in. At least, he hoped he was.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a tapping sound. He focused on his hearing, ignoring his other senses in order to try to pinpoint the source of the sound. After hearing the sound once more, he jumped out of bed and opened his window. A small red kitsune jumped inside.

"Naruto-sama!" the fox yipped. "I have urgent news!"

"What?" he asked, his eyes hardening. Whenever any kitsune was with him and greeted him first, it meant that they had some bad news to tell him. Any other time, he would greet them first and give them a good rub before playing with them.

"The Hebi plans on giving many of his shinobi the Cursed Seals in order to strengthen his army!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "That is not good news…giving a Genin access to the first level of the Cursed Seal can make them a match for low-level Chuunin…give them access to their second level, and they can take on Tokubetsu Jounin. This doesn't bode well for Konoha…do you have any more information?"

The kitsune shook his head. "Not much," he admitted. "The three Oto shinobi didn't stay around and talk long. However, I did hear that the Hebi thinks that Akatsuki will circle around and attack Konoha from the weakest area, while the other countries attack from area closest to their own Hidden Village."

"Hmm…we need to have more information. Do you think it is still safe for you and your kin to keep spying on them? If it is too dangerous, just tell me and I will go in your place. I don't want to put any of you in unnecessary danger."

The kitsune smiled. He really liked how his newest summoner was so caring. He always seemed to forget the fact that kitsunes were a master of stealth. Besides, now that the Kitsune Clan was an official summoning clan, they couldn't exactly die.

"It is fine. I already made sure that several more of my kin are waiting inside the hideouts that we know of, in case the Hebi decides to have a meeting in one of them. And there are others all around Oto, Kumo, Iwa, Konoha, and other areas that could be used as a staging point."

"Konoha? I assume you mean Danzo?"

"Hai."

"Very good then. Let me know if it ever gets too dangerous for you, okay?"

"Hai. Is that it?"

"No, one last thing. How is it that so many of you can be here, yet I didn't summon any of you?"

The kitsune chuckled. "Well, any summon can come here if they want, as long as they follow a few rules. I can't tell you all of the rules, but one of them is not to engage in any shinobi or ningen activities, unless our summoner calls upon us to aid them. If the rules are followed, then the summoners simply need to receive the permission from their Boss in order to enter the Human Realm."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for everything. If you want, you can rest up here before you leave."

"Thanks, but no. I think I'll go outside and find something to eat. There are plenty of places to find some food and shelter around here."

"All right, have a good night. And thank you for bringing me the information."

"No problem. If we come across any more vital information, it will be given to you." That being said, the kitsune leaped out of the window.

Naruto flashed through a few hand seals and summoned Gamachibi.

"Naruto-niisan, what's up? You wanna play?"

"Not now Gamachibi," Naruto stated as he wrote what he had just learned on a scroll. "I need your help."

"All right, what do you need?"

Naruto paused from writing and looked down at the toad with an incredulous look on his face. "Aren't you going to ask for candy?"

"Nope, I'm not a greedy pig like my other brothers! I'll get the job done, and then find you and get some candy."

"Good idea Gamachibi. Anyways, I need you to deliver this scroll to Baachan and Ero-sennin."

"Who?"

"The Hokage and Jiraiya."

"Oh, okay." The diminutive toad let Naruto attach the scroll to his back before waving goodbye and shot off for Konoha.

Naruto got back into his bed and pulled the blankets over him.

'_Cursed Seals…those are going to put a dent in the plans that Baachan and Ero-sennin made. They're going to be so pissed!'_

--

"So is that all we can do?" a middle-aged male voice spoke up. "Just watch?"

"Hai," responded a male voice, deep in tone.

"Well that's bullshit!" the first voice answered.

"Maybe, but rules are rules."

"We can still pray and watch over him though," a young female voice stated.

"But," the gravel voice started, "as with all rules, there are exceptions."

"Which are?" the first voice asked.

"For me to know and for you to find out. I won't tell any of you what the exceptions are, so don't bother wasting your breath. If the exceptions ever come into play, then you will all know what it or they are. But for now, we must go."

--

Author's Notes: Well, I hope you liked it! Next chapter, there will be more action, I promise! And don't worry, time will move much faster from now on.

And my hatred of cannon Sasuke has just been rising and rising with the way that the current storyline of the manga is heading. Let's just make Sasuke even more powerful, shall we Kishimoto?

I'm still trying to decide Sasuke's fate along with a few other pairings, so please comment about them on the forum that I set up for this story. You can find the link in my profile.

Please review…it'll inspire me to update faster…


	6. And Time Flows On

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, my stories wouldn't be here. And the story of the manga would be very, very, very different from what it is now.

**A/N:** Wow, it's been forever since I've updated! I'm really, really, really, sorry that it took so long! A combination of work, work, work, _Ninja Gaiden II_, work, work, _Tales of Vesperia_, work, work, and work took up way too much of my time! Plus, the manga really disappointed me…but more on that later at the Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter.

I try to keep updates on my profile to let everyone know how my progress is going, but I do forget to update it regularly. However the thread for this story (link is in my profile) is kept up to date.

But enough of that. For now, read and enjoy!

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self/Boss Summon Talk**"

'_**Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts**_'

--

Last Time:

"So is that all we can do?" a middle-aged male voice spoke up. "Just watch?"

"Hai," responded a male voice, deep in tone.

"Well that's bullshit!" the first voice answered.

"Maybe, but rules are rules."

"We can still pray and watch over him though," a young female voice stated.

"But," the gravel voice started, "as with all rules, there are exceptions."

"Which are?" the first voice asked.

"For me to know and for you to find out. I won't tell any of you what the exceptions are, so don't bother wasting your breath. If the exceptions ever come into play, then you will all know what it or they are. But for now, we must go."

--

**Chapter Six: And Time Flows On**

'_How…how did it come to this?'_ the young shinobi thought as he jumped from tree to tree, _'it was only a B-rank assassination mission!'_

The team that he had been assigned to lead was composed of two Jounin (including himself), four Tokubetsu Jounin, and six Chuunin. Therefore, he was surprised that so many high-ranking shinobi had been assigned to the mission. He had been assured that the only reason that this mission was given such a high difficulty was because that the person requesting it largely overpaid the amount for a C-rank mission, equal to a B-rank mission. Also, their client wanted to make sure that the person of interest was killed. Those two factors bumped it up to a B-rank mission. The coastal town where their target was located was said to have some shinobi skills, and the villagers had next to none.

When they reached the edge of the town, three of his Chuunin had been killed by traps. While they still stunned from the loss of roughly a third of their forces, another two of his Chuunin fell down to the ground with their necks snapped.

Despite his orders to have the remaining members of his team form a circle, the last Chuunin of his team ran off into the forest. Just after they lost sight of him, they heard his screams of pain.

The Jounin leader of the team realized that they were in a circle without any cover. Cursing, he ordered his team to retreat into the forest, but to stick together. They managed to get to cover without losing anyone else.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew threw the trees, blowing two of the Tokubetsu Jounin straight into a tree. With a sickening crack, they fell to the ground. Their imprints were left on the tree, showing how hard they had hit the tree.

"Scatter! Head for the bushes, but stay close! If we stick together as one big group, we're just a bigger target, but if we go too far, we'll get picked off one by one!" he had yelled.

He had just taken cover in a bush when he heard two explosions go off. The Jounin whistled, the Oto universal code for calling attendance. He only received one reply; the explosions were probably from traps. Seeing as he was still in hiding, he was unable to find out who had just been killed.

The leader of the once twelve man squad was slowly crawling through the undergrowth of the forest. Every so often, he would send a gust of air into the tress above him, causing the leaves to rustle. Seconds later, a second gust of air was sent up, letting him know that his remaining teammate was still alive.

Suddenly, he heard the distinctive clash of metal on metal to his right. He froze, trying to figure out what was going on. The clashes continued for a few second before he heard his final teammate yell, "B-bakemono!"

His teammate attempted to say something else, but the leader of the team couldn't make out the words due to blood filling his mouth. At least, he hoped that was blood that caused his teammate to sound like he was gurgling on water.

As soon as he heard a body hit the ground, he threw two kunai with explosive notes attached to them in the general area of the fight that had just occurred. When the notes exploded, he ran off in the opposite direction. He left the relative safety of the bushes for the tree branches, because he could travel faster that way. And that's what led him to jumping from tree to tree.

Suddenly, as he jumped from one branch to another, he hit a tree trunk. _'What the hell? I know there wasn't a trunk there.'_

The shinobi brought his hands up to grasp the trunk to keep himself from falling down, but what he felt surprised him. Instead of the rough bark of a tree, he felt…scales? He glanced up, and noticed two yellow slit-like eyes staring straight at him. The…thing opened its mouth, and devoured the Jounin. Everything happened so fast that the Jounin didn't even have time to scream.

After swallowing the Jounin, the summon let out a satisfactory sigh.

"Ahh…it has been far too long since I have been able to dine on human flesh. It was most delicious. How did I do?"

"Good enough," a human voice said from nearby.

"You hurt me," the reptilian summon responded. "I killed six of the shinobi; surely I deserve better praise than that!"

"If you had done your job properly, then I wouldn't have had to engage them in combat and my traps wouldn't have been set off."

"Ah, but wasn't the whole point of this…exercise to see how far you've gone?"

"Touché."

"Is that all you have planned for me? If it is, then I'll be off. I like to take a nap after eating such a large meal."

The mysterious human made a slashing gesture with his hand, and the summon was dispelled.

"I guess I am getting stronger…but it's not enough, not yet."

"Ku ku ku…still not happy with your progress Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke turned to face the traitorous Sannin, who had just emerged from the ground.

"No. It's not enough. I'm still not strong enough!"

"Don't worry Sasuke-kun, you are progressing very fast. After all, how long did it take you to take down the newest squad that I sent after you? Five minutes? Ten minutes at the most."

Sasuke sneered at his sensei. "Fool, half of those were taken out by my summon!"

Orochimaru glared at his arrogant student. "What have I told you about respect?" he questioned, while he raised his killing intent.

The intensity of Orochimaru's killing intent forced the young shinobi to fall down to his knees with his hand clutching at his speeding heart. No matter how many times Orochimaru used his killing intent as punishment, Sasuke never learned to be respectful. Nor did he learn how to guard himself against Orochimaru's killing intent.

Deciding that his student had been punished enough, the Sannin stopped the flow of his killing intent. "My dear Sasuke-kun, what have I told you about one's summons?"

Raising his head to glare at Orochimaru, Sasuke responded. "That a summoner's summons are only as strong as the summoner is."

"Correct. Now seeing that you were able to summon a python that was able to kill six shinobi, what does that tell you of that summon?"

"That he was strong," Sasuke responded, biting back the sarcastic remarks that threatened to leave his mouth.

"Correct. Now just think about having a whole army of snake summons on that level with you when you face your dear brother."

"I will kill him by my own hands! I will not need the help of lowly snakes!"

'_Oh how wrong you are Sasuke-kun,'_ Orochimaru thought to himself. _'Your brother is far too strong for you to defeat…he is even too strong for me to defeat in a one-on-one fight. Your only chance at victory is if you have the help of multiple high tier level snake summons with you.'_

Orochimaru licked his lips while he attempted to figure out what he could say in order to placate his future vessel.

"Sasuke-kun, think of it as using a jutsu. Only instead of a fireball or a lightning covered hand, you have the assistance of several snakes."

Orochimaru could tell that Sasuke was contemplating his words. _'Now to reel him in,'_ the Sannin thought.

"Sasuke-kun, you will have a major advantage by using the Kuchiyose no Jutsu-your brother won't be able to copy it, even with his Mangekyo Sharingan because he needs to sign the Hebi Contract first!"

Sasuke grunted and closed his eyes. Orochimaru had come to associate that move with Sasuke's way of submitting to his will without coming out and saying so. After all, doing so would be unbecoming of an Uchiha.

"Let's go back Sasuke-kun. I have a new ninjutsu that I want to teach you," Orochimaru stated.

Sasuke's greedy eyes shone with excitement. "Show me now!" he demanded.

"Now now, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru reprimanded. "Not until we get back to the base."

"Hmph. Then hurry up," he replied.

--

Pain. Mind-numbing pain. Excruciating pain. Then…relief.

Naruto was on all fours on the ground, panting heavily. Suddenly, his limbs started to shake, and he couldn't support his weight anymore, so he let his body fall down to the ground. As soon as he could, he rolled over so he was lying down on his back.

As he was gathering his breathe, Naruto took a moment to take in his surroundings.

He was currently lying on a grassy meadow, with the sun shining on his face. About twenty yards away there was a stream, flowing out of a forest. There were plenty of clouds in the sky, though not enough to block out the sun. The grass was swaying to one side due to the gentle breezes that were blowing by. All in all, it was a perfect scene of tranquility.

The tranquility that he was relishing in was disrupted when two large shadows loomed over him, effectively blocking out the sun's rays.

"**What just happened?"** Mikomi asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"**Your performance ningen,"** Bahamut answered.

"What about it? I thought I did pretty well."

"**You did,"** the dragon stated. **"For the first ten minutes. Then your performance started going down, ending when you blew yourself up and landed all the way out here."**

"Have you even seen the place I was training at?"

Bahamut snorted. **"Kind of hard not to."**

The dragon's statement was entirely true. Only a blind person wouldn't be able to see the destruction. Naruto had been practicing new combination techniques with Mikomi, Gamabunta, and Bahamut.

So far, he had only trained with those three summon bosses. They were teaching him powerful Katon and Fuuton combination ninjutsus. Naruto always looked forward to learning new techniques; after all, what guy could resist making huge explosions? Not him for sure.

"Then what's the problem?" Naruto questioned.

"**Whenever you trained, you would always train all day, until you passed out from exhaustion. Now though…you were barely able to last ten minutes."**

"Well, these combination jutsus aren't exactly easy on my chakra reserves," Naruto countered. "I'm just getting tired, that's all."

"**You should go back to Konoha today and have Tsunade give you a check-up."**

"But it's not the end of the month yet! Besides, I went there for my first check-up two weeks ago!"

"**True, but sometimes a sickness can take weeks before it can be identified."**

Bahamut wisely decided to step back and let the two "siblings" argue with one another. He wasn't stupid enough to step in and get his head chewed off. And with Mikomi there, that figure of speech could easily become a literal phrase.

"I'm fine aneue!"

"**No you're not! Look at yourself! You can barely stand, and you were only training for ten minutes!"**

"I said I'm fine!"

"**And I said that you're not! If you are, then use your Rasengan on a tree!"**

"All right, I will!" Naruto replied.

The young shinobi extended his right arm with his right palm facing the sky. He focused the chakra in his body to his hand, and thought of the sphere of destruction.

The Rasengan started to form in his hand. However, instead of the ease with which the Rasengan was normally formed, Naruto was struggling to keep this one was formed. Suddenly, without warning, the swirling ball of chakra exploded.

Naruto grasped his right wrist with his left hand and fell to his knees in pain. His entire body shook as he attempted to keep his pain under control.

"**Otouto! Are you all right?"** Mikomi asked, her concern dripping from her words.

"I'm fine," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"**No you're not! Having a Rasengan explode in your hand could very well blow it off! Now, let me see it!"**

One of Bahamut's eye widened in surprise. If the ningen had blown off his hand, then he would have to train twice as hard if he wished to continue his path as a shinobi.

Naruto reluctantly let his older sister take a look at his wounded hand.

Luckily for him, he hadn't lost his hand. It was badly burned and he had cuts over his forearm, but at least he still had his hand. Since Mikomi wasn't inside of Naruto anymore, she wouldn't have been able to re-grow his hand. In fact, she wouldn't even be able to heal the burns or the cuts.

Mikomi lowered her head in order to get a closer look.

"**Hmph…you're lucky to still have your hand. Now do you believe me when I say that something is wrong with you?"**

"Hai, hai. You're right, and I'm wrong. When should I go for my checkup?"

"**As soon as possible."**

Naruto let out a sigh of frustration. "You know, I'm tired of tree hopping back and forth between Konoha."

"**Then summon one of my dragons you foolish ningen!"**

A look of understanding suddenly appeared on Naruto's face. "Oh, that's a good idea! And that way, I could get used to riding on a dragon while they're flying! That would help for riding a phoenix too, wouldn't it?"

"**Somewhat. Phoenixes can fly faster, but we dragons can take more of a beating. While we both do our fair share of aerial maneuvers, phoenixes do much more than we do. Either way, you should still learn how to stay on to your ride, albeit for different reasons." **

"**For dragons, you need to be able to hang on while we take attacks; if we are about to be hit by a Katon ninjutsu that won't harm us, then we won't dodge it. If you aren't used to being bumped around, then you may lose your grip and fall off."**

"**For phoenixes, you need to keep a tight grip because unlike us dragons, they can't take such a heavy beating. Which of course means that they'll be doing twists and spirals and other things that'll make you lose your grip if you're not prepared."**

"Awesome. Flying will give me a major advantage during the invasion. How many shinobi would expect an attack to come from above?"

"**Hai it will,"** Bahamut responded, amused by his summoner's excitement over something as trivial as flying. **"But now, you should exit the Spirit Realm and summon one of my kin to fly you over to Konoha."**

Naruto nodded. "Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow! Or, if the dragon is fast enough, tonight!"

"**Don't forget to bandage your hand before you leave for Konoha!"** Mikomi reminded Naruto before she waved one of her tails over Naruto, sending him back to his realm.

"**What do you think is wrong with him?"**

Mikomi shook her head in confusion. **"To be honest, I have no idea what's wrong with him. Only a medical expert, such as Tsunade, will be able to tell."**

"**So we just play the waiting game?"**

"**Hai."**

--

Hinata collapsed against a tree, with sweat pouring down her face. Yamato-sensei had given them a five minute break, and she took the time to rest in the shade and drink some water. As she took a drink from her canteen, she took the momentary respite to reflect on what had happened recently.

Team Eight only had two more weeks left to train before they had to return to Konoha. The whole team had improved by leaps and bounds, but the one who had improved the most was Hinata. The reason why though, was debatable.

If someone who didn't know her well, they would say that she improved because she wanted her boyfriend, Kiba, wouldn't leave her for someone else.

Kurenai would say that Hinata was trying to distract herself from thinking about Naruto and whatever he had done by throwing herself into her training.

Shino would say that she wanted to attract Naruto-san's attention by becoming stronger. It was a rather logical way of thinking, but it would be even more logical for her to remove her jacket in Naruto-san's presence.

Yamato thought that Hinata wanted to challenge Sakura to a match in front of the Godaime-sama in order for her to proclaim which one of her two students was the strongest. If Hinata was proclaimed to be the stronger of the two, then she would eventually become one of the next generation of Sannin.

Kiba both thought that Hinat's growth in her abilities was due to her relationship with him. After all, all females get stronger when they want to stay in the good graces of the alpha male, not the omega male.

Akamaru…well he just went along with what his best friend and master believed in.

Team Eight had learned a multitude of techniques in the past month and a half. They had learned so many new formations, that they had to spend an hour coming up with names for all of them. The formations worked much better now that Kiba and Akamaru worked with them rather than being a two-man team.

Shino and Hinata had completely memorized the locations and effects of pressure points. Kiba however, only learned about an eighth of them; he argued that his clan's style of taijutsu focused more on brute force. Surprisingly, their two senseis yielded to his argument.

Aside from learning new formations and pressure points, they had also learned several jutsus. Kurenai taught them all several genjutsus and Yamato taught them Douton and Suiton ninjutsus.

Despite all of their efforts, Hinata was the only one on her team who liberally used what their senseis had taught them. Normally, it would be unusual for a Hyuuga to use anything other than Jyuuken, but Hinata had been training under Tsunade-sama for three years; during that time, she gradually integrated her sensei's legendary strength into her fighting style.

Shino would have used what their senseis had taught them, but he didn't have enough chakra to go around and make liberal use of them. Much of his chakra was used to sustain the colonies he had in his body and his clan techniques.

Kiba didn't use the jutsus that they had learned very often because he preferred to use brute strength and his clan techniques that enhanced his strength. Besides, he said that he loved the feeling of digging his claws into his opponent. It was a canine thing, not a sign of a murderer.

Hinata snapped out of her reverie as she felt something wrap around her shoulders. She didn't have to turn her head to know that Kiba-kun was simply wrapping his arms around her.

She still wasn't quite used to being so close to him, but at least she didn't flinch away when he got close to her. In fact, she didn't know why she felt repulsed whenever Kiba-kun got close to her.

He had tried to kiss her about three weeks ago, but Hinata had pushed him away. He had tried again of course, but Hinata had refused. When he questioned her why she wasn't letting him kiss her, she told him that she wasn't ready for their relationship to be moving so fast.

In reality, she still held on to her dream of Naruto-san taking her first kiss. She didn't know why she still held on to that dream, but it was ridiculous. Naruto-san would never even think of looking at a girl like her twice.

For now though…she wouldn't let anyone kiss her until she was sure that they loved her. She didn't want to be heart broken again. It hurt so much the first time, and she didn't think that she would be able to withstand it a second time.

"Ne, Hinata-chan? After we get back to Konoha, want to go on another real date?"

"Hai, that would be nice Kiba-kun."

Before either one of them could say a word, they both heard a whistle. Hinata got up without compliant, and rushed towards the training field, glad to be free of Kiba's embrace.

Kiba sat still for a few moments, imagining how close he had been to touching Hinata-chan's amazingly developed breasts. With a sigh, he got up and headed over to the training field.

--

Naruto hung on to the dragon's neck for dear life as his summon raced through the sky. He was straddling the dragon's neck and sat just in front of his summon's shoulders. The only reason that he hadn't fallen off was because he had his legs wrapped tightly around the neck.

He would have wrapped his hands around one of the dragon's neck spikes, but he had to keep his hands free. With his hands free, he would be able to use jutsus and throw weapons during a fight.

To be honest, Naruto couldn't wait to see the looks on the faces of both his allies and enemies when they saw him riding on a dragon or a phoenix.

Soon, Konoha came into view and Naruto directed his summon to land well outside the viewing distance of Konoha. He didn't want anyone to see him riding a dragon yet; there could still be more spies in Konoha that he didn't know of. And they had yet to deal with Danzo; Naruto knew that despite everything he was, a fool Danzo was not. It was entirely possible for him to find a way to send information to Orochimaru.

Naruto dismounted the dragon and thanked his summon for the ride before he dispelled the dragon. As soon as his summon disappeared in the usual cloud of smoke, Naruto headed towards the gates of Konoha. Unlike the previous times he had returned, Naruto did not jump from branch to branch

Even if he didn't admit it, he knew that something was wrong with him; something was causing him to tire much more quickly. He had been hoping that it was just a temporary sickness or something, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Naruto nodded to the two gate guards on duty before he entered the village. Normally he would have just run over the wall, but with his mysterious ailment, he didn't want to risk anything.

For the first time that he could remember, Naruto entered the Hokage's office using the door when he was coming by himself. Much to his surprise, the blonde kunoichi was sitting at her desk and was awake and actually doing her paper work instead of drinking.

"Naruto? What are you doing back here so early?"

"Well…something's wrong with me."

"Wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" A moment later, Naruto realized that he was being extremely rude-even more so than usual. "Please forgive me, but not knowing what is wrong with me has been rather taxing. All I know is that I keep on getting tired much more quickly and more often than before."

Tsunade nodded in acceptance; it was understandable for him to act that way. "Very well, if you'll take a seat, I can run the diagnosis to see what's wrong with you."

Naruto sat down in a chair in front of the Hokage's desk and sat silently as Tsunade started her diagnosis of him. He didn't miss the slight narrowing of her eyes, something that she only did when she was confused or frustrated.

"Baachan, what's wrong with me?" When he saw her hesitating, he spoke up before she could say anything. "And please, don't lie to me. I know something is wrong with me."

Seeing that she had no way out, Tsunade decided to tell Naruto what she had found in her diagnosis.

"I haven't seen this condition before, but theoretically, it's entirely possible. I mean, we haven't really had anyone to compare it to, but…"

Naruto interrupted her in the middle of her rant. "I know my…'condition' may be unusual, but do you know what's wrong with me?"

"Well, your body is unused to your chakra being so…pure, and entirely your own, not being mixed with the Kyuubi's chakra. Your body has to get used to it first. Add that to all the extensive training and massive amounts of chakra that you're using and by extent, refilling your reserves, your body is being pushed way beyond its limits. If your body doesn't get used to it soon, then it is possible that your life span will shorten."

"Oh, I was worried that spending so much time in the Spirit Realm was harming me."

Tsuande raised an eyebrow. "Are you spending more time there than you originally planned?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Eh…just a bit more. Only a few more days a week than I planned, but that's because the stuff that I'm learning is a lot harder than we thought!"

"Are you using Kage Bunshin to help you?"

"Only for the lower level techniques that most of the summons can use. I can't do that for the ultimate techniques that require the Boss Summon because they can't use Kage Bunshin."

"I see," Tsunade said as she returned to her seat behind her desk. "If you don't mind me asking, what have you learned in roughly six weeks?"

"Well," Naruto started, "like I said earlier, I learned a lot of combination jutsus, but only with the Toad, Dragon, and Kitsune clans so far. Well, mainly the Dragon and Kitsune clan because I know most of the easier Toad combination jutsus. But there are a whole lot of them that I don't know, like the one where I can travel inside a toad…"

Tsunade raised a hand to stop Naruto from rambling on about his new combination techniques. "What else, besides those?"

"Well, I've been working a lot more on my taijutsu."

"Who's teaching you taijutsu in Wave? I thought that there weren't any shinobi out there?"

"There aren't. I think there may be a local militia, but that's about the extent of their military power."

"Then who's teaching you? The ghosts of the previous Hokages?"

"Hahaha, very funny Baachan. I'm never going to be as good at taijutsu as Gai and Lee are, but I can still be pretty good. Jiraiya taught me most of what he knows of taijutsu, so I just practice that. It's enough to deal with enemies up to Jounin-as long as they don't specialize in taijutsu."

"So you just go over the forms?"

"Hai. But I also spar with my Kage Bunshin and work on my strength and speed. Due to my past…experiences in Konoha, my speed has always been pretty good, and I've only improved it during the years. My physical strength on the other hand, has always been a bit lacking. So in addition to the gravity seals I have on my body, I also placed some of those seals on branches to act as dumbbells."

"That's a good idea. But how do the branches withstand the extra pressure that the gravity seals put on them?"

"Oh, I had to put stabilizing seals on them too. That counteracts the extra gravity, making the branch keep its form."

"So have you been working on anything else?"

"Well, you know that having Kage Bunshin work on increasing physical strength is pointless, so when I'm working out, I have Kage Bunshin work on my jutsus. You know, increasing my hand seal speed and mastering all the jutsus I know. I also have a scroll of jutsus that I'm going to take a look at when I have the time."

"Who gave you the scroll? Jiraiya?"

"Hai. He gave it to me towards the end of our training trip, but I was busy learning other techniques, so I haven't had time to take a look at it."

"Very well, I'm glad that your training is going very well so far. Keep up the good work."

"Hai, I'll be back in two weeks then."

"I'll see you then. Stay safe, and don't overdo it!"

"I won't!" Naruto yelled as he opened the door and ran out.

'_Naruto…if only you knew how proud I am of you. I may not say it, but you are the son that I never had and always wished for.'_

--

_They know of the invasion-look for a mole. Preparations are being made, new plans are needed._

Danzo rewrote those two sentences over and over on multiple scrolls before he attached them to the legs of the ravens that he had his NE ANBU bring to him. He kept his own flock of ravens in his house, hidden from the sight of everybody else save for his loyal NE ANBUs.

As soon as Danzo had left the meeting regarding the incoming invasion, he knew that he had to get a message out to Orochimaru and alert him of the news. If Konoha knew of the invasion, then all of their well-thought out plans would have to be changed.

He knew that Tsunade didn't trust him, and as such he was sure that she had ANBU trailing him for a few days after the meeting. However, he made sure that he didn't do anything to compromise his position, and she couldn't keep them watching him if they didn't uncover anything. Besides, she was having him followed on a hunch, nothing more.

With a flick of his wrist, a score of ravens flew from their perches in their roost and headed out into the sky. He stood at the window and watched them fly off into sky, towards Oto. With luck, they would reach the nearest Oto outpost in a day or so.

As soon as they were out of sight, Danzo turned around and headed to the basement in his house. He had to create more plans for ruling Konoha once Orochimaru and his forces won the war.

Too bad for him, the time that he had spent writing those messages would never reach Orochimaru. If his ears had been more sensitive, like those of the Inuzuka or if he had been focusing chakra to his ears, then he would have heard a series of high pitched croaks.

Jiraiya had ordered several of the smallest toads he could summon to keep a watch on Danzo. If he tried to send word out of the village, then the toads would alert one another until Jiraiya heard the news. The croaks would also alert the other toads that Jiraiya had strategically placed around Konoha.

In the forests outside of Konoha, larger toads, toads capable of taking down a single messenger were waiting for their smaller brethren to tell them of a target. Needless to say, they were far more than enough to take down a score of ravens.

By the time that Jiraiya left the hot springs and reached the northern edge of the forest outside of Konoha, his toads had already taken care of the ravens. All that was left of them were burning carcasses.

"How did you start the flames?" Jiraiya questioned.

"**We blew out the oil before we grabbed our weapons and hit it against some flint we keep,"** answered one toad.

"How many were there?"

"**Only twenty."**

"You got them all?"

"**Of course. Ravens can't live after being hit by a fireball or flying through a wall of flame."**

"Good job. I'll be sure to bring you some sake tomorrow. Keep up the watch, okay?"

Jiraiya received a chorus of 'Hais' as he turned around and headed by to Konoha. Tsunade had to hear about this.

--

Kurenai sighed from her seat on the porch of their cabin as she stared at her students training under the gentle guidance of Yamato-san. They had all grown so much stronger in the past month and a half. She was glad that she had been able to be there to guide them along their path from Academy students to proud Chuunin.

Despite their huge leap in their skills, she was even more proud of the improvements in their teamwork. These past few weeks, they started to work as one. Before, Hinata and Shino had no problem working together, but Kiba had always preferred to work alone with Akamaru. They worked flawlessly together, almost as if they had been working as a team together for years.

Thinking of Kiba reminded her that he was dating her favorite student, Hinata. For the first two weeks that they started to date, she had kept a close eye on the two of them whenever she could. After the revelation she had about Kiba, she didn't trust him to be with _any_ girl alone, least to say the girl he fancied, Hinata.

She had almost cast one of her more deadly genjutsus on him when he tried to kiss Hinata, but luckily Hinata had pushed Kiba off and preserved the virginity of her lips. Before they left for their training trip, Hiashi had made it very clear to Kurenai that Hinata was not to be engaging in physical contact with Kiba, with the exception of hugs.

Kiba had tried a few more times to get a kiss, but Hinata always stood firm and refused to allow him to kiss her. It seemed that he had finally given up on trying to kiss her. Kurenai decided to stay on the safe side and continued her surveillance for a few more days. When she was satisfied that Kiba didn't seem to have any further intents, she stopped watching them like a hawk.

Kurenai rubbed her stomach. She knew that she wasn't showing her pregnancy yet, but she felt as though it was. Besides, whenever she rubbed her stomach where her child was growing, it reminded her of the link that she had with Asuma.

Asuma…she missed him so much. Even all of his flaws, mainly his smoking. She may have complained about his bad habit, but now she just associated the smell with him. In fact, every time she walked by someone smoking, her eyes would start to water-and not from being irritated by the smoke.

How she wished that she could be kissed by him one more time, to hold him once more, and to tell him how much she loved him just one more time. Now that he was gone, she felt terrible for yelling at him all those times. She would give so much to have him back, even with all his flaws.

Kurenai shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. It wouldn't do for her to focus on the past. At least, not for now. For now, she had to focus on her students. When she got back to Konoha and was placed back on maternity leave, then she would have all the time in the world to reminisce of Asuma.

The pregnant Jounin got up from her seat and walked outside. She figured that she still had a few more things that she could teach her students. Besides, with the upcoming invasion, it would be best for them to learn as much as they could.

--

"When will we attack?"

"When the time is right."

"Please forgive me Madara-sama, but I am merely curious as to why we formed an alliance."

"Do you honestly think we would be able to defeat an entire village without losing any members?"

Pein shook his head. "If we were facing any village other than Konoha, then I would say that we would be able to. However, I don't see why we needed to create an alliance with three other villages; just allying with Oto would have been more than enough!"

"True, but it can't hurt us to have more people to throw at Konoha to weaken them. Besides, the more work they do, the less work we have to do."

"I see. That is an ingenious plan Madara-sama."

"But of course it is, I planned it."

"What of the Jinchuuriki? What will we do about them?"

"After Konoha is crushed, we will capture the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Capturing the others will just be a matter of time."

"I see. So you don't plan on keeping the alliance in tact?"

"Of course not. As soon as they are lulled into a sense of false bravery, we will strike."

"So the original plan is still in effect?"

"Of course."

"Arigato for your time Madara-sama" Pein said, as he walked out of the cavern.

'_Sooon…soon Konoha, you shall be nothing but ashes. Soon, I will have my revenge!'_

--

"**Very good ningen, you have completed your training with the Dragon Clan,"** Bahamut stated.

"**Same with the Toad Clan. You are more than ready to go into a real battle and call upon those in our clans and win the battle."**

"**But you are hardly done learning form the Kitsune Clan."**

Naruto bowed low to all three of the Summon Council members. "Arigato for everything! I have gotten so much stronger by training with you two!"

"**Hmph, if you think you learned a lot ningen, then just wait until Hikari, Katsuya, and Enma start to train you."**

"**And that will be nothing compared to the rest of the things that you will learn under Mikomi,"** Gamabunta stated.

"Bahamut-sama, I wanted to thank you again for teaching me how to stay on a dragon and not fall off. I am sure that it will help me when I am training with the Phoenix Clan."

"**Ha, it won't help you that much! They fly much faster than we do."**

"Are you admitting that you aren't the strongest clan of the skies?"

"**Of course not! I merely stated that they can fly faster because they have less muscle mass than we dragons do!"**

Naruto had to hide a smile as he caught the dragon's blunder. While it was a valid reason, he was still glad that he was able to catch the proud dragon saying that his clan wasn't the best at everything.

"Gamabunta-sama, I'd like to thank you for everything you've taught me. In fact, I think I know just as much with regards to the Toad Clan as Jiraiya-sensei!"

Gamabunta chuckled. It was funny to see the young shinobi in front of him show respect. **"Gaki, I didn't have much to teach you; we already went over most of it during your three year training trip. As for knowing as much as the pervert…well, there is one thing that he knows that you don't."**

Naruto looked up at the Toad Boss with a curious expression. "Can you tell me what that is?"

The giant toad shook his head. **"I cannot. It is not my place to do so."**

"Is it something you can teach?"

"**Not something I can teach personally."**

"What can you tell me about it?"

"…**It is easily the most powerful combination ninjutsu that can be done between summoner and the Toad Clan."**

"Yet I can't learn it," Naruto answered sadly.

Gamabunta lifted his pipe to his mouth for a moment and blew out a huge cloud of smoke before he answered Naruto. **"You have to understand Naruto that it isn't up to me to make that decision. Those higher in position and stronger than me are the only ones who can teach it, and as such, they decide who is allowed to learn it and who isn't. If it was up to me, I would teach it to you right now, but sadly, it isn't up to me."**

"There are toads that are higher up than you? I thought you were the Boss Summon!"

"**Yes there are toads higher than I, even though I am the Boss Summon. It's similar to your Council and the Hokage, but my Council could easily defeat me in a battle, whereas yours can not defeat the Hokage in a fair fight." **

"I see…I may not like it, but I understand your position. I am sorry for causing such an outburst."

"**Don't worry about it. It's only understandable that you would want more power in order to become strong enough for the upcoming invasion. Be careful of what you do when you become more powerful; do not let the power corrupt you,"** warned Gamabunta.

After Naruto nodded in agreement, Bahamut and Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the "siblings" alone.

"**What will you do now?"** questioned Mikomi.

"**I don't know. I think I'll go back to Konoha and let Baachan examine me. Then I'll come back here and train some more."**

"**Good. I believe that Enma and I will be training you next. You have been working on building up your muscles, right?"**

"Hai."

"**Excellent. Enma's training will require you to continually build up your strength."**

"He focuses on taijutsu?"

"**Of course."**

"I see…well, I should be going then."

"**One more thing Naruto," **Gamabunta said before Naruto could leave. **"Take a few days off and relax in Konoha. You've earned it."**

"Really? Thanks!"

"**Have a safe trip otouto,"** Mikomi stated before she waved a tail over Naruto, sending him out of the Spirit Realm.

--

Hinata looked at her surroundings for the last time. They had finished their two month training trip and were preparing to leave. In the short time that they had been here, the surrounding forest had almost become like a home for her.

She knew it was silly to be getting so attached to something as simple as a small plot of land, especially when they had been moving from area to area during their training trip. However, she couldn't help herself. The wildlife was so active near their training camps that it made it very easy to relax. It also helped her take her mind off of the one Konoha shinobi who had been constantly on her mind for years.

Hinata started to stretch, warming up her muscles so she could avoid cramping up during their return trip back to Konoha. As she stretched, the sunlight reflected off of her necklace that Kiba-kun had given her. She paused in her stretches and fingered it.

The strangest thing had happened a few weeks ago. The gem that was attached to the necklace had changed from a bright blue to a slightly darker shade. At first, she thought that it was just her eyes playing a trick on her, but she soon realized that it was indeed getting darker. Before she knew it though, the necklace had regained it's bright blue color.

She had no idea why it happened, and she was sure that Kiba-kun wouldn't know. After all, how many boyfriends actually knew a thing about the gifts that they bought for their girlfriends?

"You seem worried," commented Shino.

Hinata merely turned around to face her teammate. Two months ago, his action would have caused her to jump in fright, but after the training she had gone through, it seemed as though she had finally accessed the courage that had always been out of reach for her. Much to her delight, she had almost managed to stop stuttering so often.

"It's nothing Shino-kun…I'm just admiring the necklace that Kiba-kun gave me."

"I see. It is rather curious that he had a necklace on hand to give to you while we have been living in solitude for the past two months."

"Are you accusing him of stealing?" Hinata asked incredulously. If she heard correctly, then Shino-kun thought that her boyfriend was a thief!

"No. I am merely pointing out something that has caught my attention. There is one other thing that has warranted further research."

"And what is that?" Hinata asked in a slightly harsher tone.

"Why did it change colors?"

Hinata froze. She mentally slapped herself for not realizing that Shino wouldn't notice the slight change. After all, Shino was the most observant of all of them.

"Ano…"

Shino nodded his head, as if he were expecting her not to know the answer from the start.

"I see…have you asked Kiba-san about this mysterious change?"

"No…"

Shino just nodded and walked away. A moment later, he stopped, and without turning to face her, he spoke up.

"I have one more piece of advice for you Hinata-san: Do not rush into things, and make sure that you know what you are sure of what you are doing. Matters of love should not be taken lightly, nor should one enter a relationship unless they truly desire their significant other."

Hinata could only stare at her teammate's retreating form. His words were so familiar to those that had been plaguing her recently. Were they right? Was she rushing into things?

--

"Well, how's it look?"

Tsunade looked up at Naruto with a grim expression.

"Come on Baachan, you can tell me! I swear I won't start crying!"

The Godaime smacked Naruto on the head. "What have I told you about calling me 'Baachan'?"

"Come on, you don't hit a dying man! That's just not ethical!" whined Naruto.

"Dying? Who said you're dying? You're as healthy as any teenage boy," she added with a smile.

"Eh? I thought that my body is breaking down because it isn't used to my 'pure' chakra?"

"Did I say that?"

"Well…no, but you looked like you were constipated…OWWW!" yelled Naruto as Tsunade smacked him again for his comment.

"Stupid gaki…and no, you're not dying. You're doing fine in fact; I just wanted to yank your chain a bit."

Naruto stared at the Hokage with a grim expression. "That was low Baachan, and you know it…"

Before Tsunade could apologize, Naruto started to grin and said, "But it would have been better if you had added a few sobs in it!"

Tsunade's eye started to twitch. Here she was, feeling bad about what she had just said, and then he went and made a joke of it! Unable to restrain herself any longer, Tsunade cocked her arm back and punched Naruto through the window.

As he was flying through the sky, she heard him yell, "If you can't take the heat, then don't dish it out!"

Tsunade turned to sit back at her desk as a small grin crossed her face. It had been far to boring without Naruto in Konoha to add some excitement to her boring schedule.

--

'_I'm hungry,'_ thought Sakura. She hadn't had anything to eat since morning, and while she wasn't dieting like she had in her days at the Academy, she didn't eat a lot either. Plus, shopping all day had done nothing to stave off her hunger.

She was really glad that Tsunade had given her the day off. The only times that she had days off was when her sensei had too much paperwork to take care of. Despite the Godaime's aversion to paperwork, she was usually on top of her work-mainly due to the constant nagging of Shizune. So Sakura had taken to value those few free days that she was given.

Sakura had just finished her shopping and was heading to get something to eat when something crashed right in front of her. She had to blink her eyes several times in order to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

"Naruto-niisan? What happened to you? And when did you come back? Do you have any idea how terrible missions are, going with just Sai?"

Naruto picked himself up off of the ground and started to dust himself off. "Oh, hey Sakura-neechan. Baachan got mad, so she hit me and I went flying. I just came back. And I can imagine how bad the missions are," he said as he ticked off his answers using his fingers.

Sakura just stared at her 'brother'. To be honest, she hadn't expected him to remember all of her questions. The old Naruto would have had to hear her repeat the questions a few times before he managed to answer them all.

"Hey, wanna go get some ramen?" Naruto said, breaking Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Is that all you ever eat?"

"No. I haven't had Ichiraku's ramen in a month!"

"A month isn't that long."

"It is for me…so you coming or not?"

"Whatever…but you better be paying!"

"Why not…I haven't been spending my money for the past month, so I have enough to cover you."

Before they ate lunch, the pair stopped at Sakura's house to drop off her bags. Once they were safely placed in her room, they headed for Ichiraku's ramen. Since it was a bit late for lunch, the lunch crowd was gone so the two had no problem getting seats.

As soon as their food arrived, they began to eat and catch up on what had been going on in the past two months. Well, Sakura did most of the talking seeing as Naruto was busy eating. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn't have been able to tell her what he had been doing.

"Oh, Team Eight came back from their training trip this morning too! I can't wait until we get to go train for two months, it's going to be great!"

"Yeah…great…" commented Naruto. However, for the first time since he had talked with Mikomi with regards to Hinata, he let his mind think about her advice. He didn't know if he would be able to get closer to Kiba if he was dating Hinata, his jealousy might make him do something he would regret.

"Hey, I need to go. I promised Ino that I would hang out with her today."

"Oh, okay. I think I'm going to get a few more bowls. The ramen in Tazuna's village just isn't the same as Ichiraku's ramen!"

Sakura laughed as she turned and headed out of the stand. "Don't eat so much that you blow up like a balloon," she warned.

As soon as Sakura left, Naruto picked at his bowl of noodles. He didn't know what to say to Hinata-chan. And when he figured out what to say, how could he say it so Kiba wouldn't think that he was trying to steal his girlfriend?

Just as he was about to put some money down on the counter and leave, Naruto heard the curtains by the entrance being pushed apart. Turning his head around to see who the new-comers were, he was highly surprised to see Hinata and Kiba walking in. More surprising however, was the fact that the two weren't holding hands.

'_I thought that couples hold hands? Maybe they aren't that close yet…which means that I still have a chance!'_

"Hey, what are you two up to?" asked Naruto.

Hinata turned to face the shinobi that she had a crush on for so many years. To be honest, she still wanted him, but he was with Sakura-san…he was out of her reach.

"W-we're here on a d-date N-naruto-kun."

Kiba threw his arm around Hinata's shoulder, which made Naruto's blood boil in anger. Oblivious to the blonde's rising temper, Kiba just smiled.

"Yup! We started dating about two months ago! But seeing as we were out training, we couldn't really go on a real date, so here we are!"

"I see…Ayame-neechan! Another bowl of miso ramen for me!"

"Coming right up, Naruto-kun," Ayame said as she smiled at the young shinobi. "And what would you two like?"

"I'll take a beef ramen, with extra beef!"

"Ano…I'd like a m-miso ramen please," Hinata stated shyly. She had always ordered miso ramen ever since she found out that it was Naruto-san's favorite flavor. After she tried all of the varieties, which took about a month, she decided that miso was her favorite type.

No one knew that she had been introduced to the wonders of ramen when she had started following Naruto-san. She had first tried the noodles because she had hoped that they were the source of his courage and confidence. Needless to say, it didn't work but that didn't lower the quality of the food.

"So, what did you two learn at your training trip?" Naruto asked, in an attempt to draw the couple into conversation. He honestly had no idea how he would become better friends with the two next to him; it wasn't like he had much practice making friends.

"Well," Hinata began, eager to impress her former crush. "We learned m-many ninjutsus and genjutsus. Yamato-sensei a-also taught us…"

Kiba placed his forefinger over his girlfriend's lips in an attempt to keep her quiet. "Hinata-chan, don't tell him! As shinobi, we should always keep a few tricks hidden, even from our comrades!"

"H-hai," Hinata answered. Mentally, she slapped herself. Why had she been so eager to impress Naruto-san? She should be impressing Kiba-kun, her boyfriend, not Naruto-san, her former crush.

Naruto thanked Ayame as she brought out their food before he commented on Hinata's last statement.

"Oh, you were trained by Yamato-sensei too?"

Kiba stared at Naruto. "You mean he trained you?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, he helped me learn elemental manipulation."

Kiba tilted his head to one side. "Hmmm…he didn't do that with us," he answered in a slightly challenging tone.

Naruto resumed eating his noodles. As soon as he swallowed the noodles in his mouth, he placated Kiba's anger. "Eh, it was only because Kakashi-sensei asked him to." As Hinata leaned forward to start eating her bowl of ramen, a flash of light caught Naruto's attention.

"I see maybe I could get Kurenai-sensei to…hey, stop staring at my girlfriend's boobs!"

"Hmmm? Oh, I wasn't staring at her chest! I was just admiring the necklace she has. Is it a family heirloom?"

"N-no, Kiba-kun g-g-gave it to me," she answered.

"I see…that was very nice of you Kiba!" Naruto said with a forced smile on his face before he returned to eating his ramen. Traveling with Jiraiya for three years had done wonders for Naruto; one of his proudest accomplishments was being able to master his emotions and hide them behind a mask.

While it seemed that he was simply content to eat his ramen, he was actually extremely angry. However, thanks to Jiraiya's training and his years of wearing a mask, no one, not even Hinata, was able to detect his true feelings.

'_How dare he! How dare he claim that he got her the necklace! He must have picked it up when I dropped it! And he has the audacity to claim that he bought it?'_

For the next few minutes, the three shinobi ate hungrily, and not a word was spoken between them. However, Hinata kept on stealing glances at Naruto, even though she chided herself on doing so every time she did.

"So," began Naruto as he pushed his empty bowl away from him, "is your team going to get another mission soon?"

"We should be! Kurenai-sensei said that after we finished our two month training, we could go on a mission to see if we're eligible to be Jounin," boasted Kiba as he puffed out his chest in pride.

"Well, good luck with that! Any idea when you guys leave for that mission?"

"Ano…we haven't b-been assigned it y-yet. I t-think that we'll g-get some time o-off first."

"Good! That means that you guys can come train with me! I have some time off from my mission, so it would be perfect!"

"A-all right," Hinata answered as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Hmmm…that sounds like fun, but I have to go check up on Akamaru," Kiba stated.

"Oh, where is he?"

"He went to see my sister to make sure that he's fine after all that training we did. I usually take him for a check-up once a month, but I couldn't because we were outside of Konoha."

"Well, then maybe you can go pick him up and then meet us at the training grounds?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm…nah, I want to show my clan how strong I got!" Kiba exclaimed as he threw a fist in the air.

The Inuzuka heir got up from his stool, gave Hinata a hug, and then walked out. "I'll come by later to hang out with you Hinata-chan!" he yelled.

Naruto got up from his own stool and stretched his arms above his head. "Well, you want to have a light spar?"

Hinata twiddled her fingers together again and averted her face as she answered, "Hai."

Naruto pulled out some cash and put it down on the counter for their meals. Hinata started to take out some bills for her bowl, but Naruto stopped her.

"Don't worry about it, it's my treat," he stated with a small smile.

"Ano…arigato," she said. However, she realized that her boyfriend hadn't left any money. "Ano, Naruto-san…"

For the second time that day, Naruto's ability to keep his emotions in check saved him again. If he hadn't had such control over his emotions, then Hinata would have seen him flinch at her sentence.

'_She used "-san" at the end of my name,'_ he thought miserably_. 'It used to always be "-kun".'_

"Naruto-san?" Hinata questioned, bringing the depressed boy out of his thoughts.

"Hmmm? Hey, why are you trying to pay? It's my treat, remember?"

"Well…Kiba-kun d-didn't leave leave any money, so I t-thought t-that…"

"Don't worry about it," he said with another reassuring smile on his face. "I'll pay for his bowls too."

Hinata bowed her head in defeat. She knew how stubborn Naruto-san could be once he put his mind to it. That was one of his traits that had made him so attractive in her eyes. For a while, she had thought that she was the only girl who could see his good qualities, and that gave her hope. However, it seemed that Sakura-san had finally opened her eyes and saw what was in front of her.

'_Stop it,'_ she commanded herself. _'You have a wonderful boyfriend who is kind, strong, and handsome.'_

"Ready to go Hinata?" Naruto asked as he stood by the exit to Ichirakus and held the curtains aside for her to go through first.

"Hai," she said as she walked out.

It was a good thing that Hinata was walking in front of Naruto. If she had been next to him, she would have seen the smile on his face.

'_Some one-on-one time with Hinata-chan…this is going to be awesome! If everything works out, then I can become a closer friend by the end of this sparring session!'_

--

Tsunade frowned as she poured sake into two saucers, one for her and one for her teammate. As if planning out their defenses wasn't enough, she had to deal with a traitorous council member.

"So do you think we should assassinate Danzo?" Tsunade asked as she finished pouring the sake.

"I don't know," Jiraiya said before he reached for his saucer. "Should we?"

Tsunade nearly dropped her saucer. "You know we can't keep him alive! Keeping him alive could compromise our whole defense!"

"I know that, but if we could keep him alive then we would be able to feed Orochimaru false information! Hell, we could even follow one of his messengers and find out where he is!"

Tsunade took another sip of her sake as she contemplated the pros and cons of each decision. Finally, she shook her head and drank the last of the alcohol in her saucer. "As tempting as it sounds to keep him alive, we have to kill him as soon as possible. We wouldn't be able to alert all of the Council Members of our plan because I know some are loyal to Danzo, and they would alert him of any false information."

"True…well, killing him is the safer of the two options, but it also yields fewer benefits. How are you going to justify his death? Orochimaru will be suspicious if he is just killed. And no one can act as him under a Henge because we don't know enough of his mannerisms to successfully pull it off."

"Well, we have information that he has restarted the NE ANBU, even though it was disbanded. Disobeying a direct order from a previous Hokage is high treason, punishable by death."

"True, but we've had the information for years. Why act on it now? Orochimaru won't fall for it."

"Shit…it's too dangerous to keep him alive. He may be a bastard, but he is cunning, and I don't want to see how long it takes before he manages to get a message past your toads and my slugs."

"Hmm..."

"Come on, think of an idea!" she urged.

"I just can't think of an idea on the spot!" Jiraiya complained, throwing his hands in the air. "Why can't you think of something, it's your job as Hokage!"

"No it's not," Tsunade said, shaking her head.

"What are you talking about? A Hokage's job is to keep Konoha safe!"

"Yes, you're right about that. However, a good leader knows when to lead and when to follow. And in this case, deception would fall under your category of expertise, not mine."

"I see…good reasoning, but I still can't think of an idea."

Tsunade frowned. She knew that her teammate was working his hardest to keep Konoha safe, and that it was totally uncalled for her to be rushing him.

"I'm sorry I'm rushing you, but it's just so hard to make more plans if Danzo is alive. Every plan we make will be reviewed by the Council, and the longer he's alive, the more plans he'll hear."

"Don't bother apologizing, I knew why you were being so uptight, and seeing as it isn't that time of the month, I figured it must be because of stress. No, don't hit me, I have to think!" warned Jiraiya.

Tsunade sighed. "I'll hit you later," she promised.

"Why don't you get to work on some more plans, while I try to think of an idea."

"Fine," she stated. For a few moments, nothing could be heard but the scratching of Tsunade's brush on a scroll.

"Jiraiya, do you think we should tell the Rookies what's going on?"

Jiraiya hummed as he thought for a moment. "If we can avoid it, then no. Why, have they asked questions?"

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time. I'm sure Shikamaru will figure it out, and if he does then his teammates will notice that he's acting different. Hinata and Shino probably didn't buy the excuse that they did well so I awarded them by giving them combat-based training. In fact, I'm sure that Hinata didn't buy it; she's been my apprentice for three years, and I've come to realize that she has an uncanny ability to see when people are lying. And Sai and Sakura…well, who knows what Sai is thinking, but I think Sakura will buy it if Kakashi tells it to her."

The Gama-Sennin drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "I guess we could tell them after they finish their training then. Are you still planning on sending them out on missions after their training period to see if they can be promoted to Jounin?"

"Hai. We have plenty of Chuunin, but not enough Jounin to lead the Chuunin."

"Well, then I think that you should tell them before they leave for the mission. That way, they know what is at stake, and because of that knowledge, they'll think things through a few times to make sure that there's no mistakes. The pressure will be higher for them than it would be if they were just taking an exam."

Tsunade sighed as she turned her chair around and stared out the window, getting a perfect view of Konoha.

"Jiraiya…am I doing the right thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm thinking about promoting fifteen year olds to Jounin…most shinobi don't reach Jounin that early! Do you know what it'll mean if they do pass their 'Exam'?"

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, in a decidedly Naruto fashion. "Ano…they'll become even more famous?"

"No you idiot! It means that there's a much higher chance of them dying! They'll be going on more dangerous missions, which means a higher fatality rate! They don't deserve this!"

Jiraiya sighed. "I know they don't deserve this, but war is coming. You and I both know that war is never fair…"

"That still doesn't reassure me that I'm doing the right thing…"

"It wasn't supposed to reassure you that you're doing the right thing. In fact, I can tell you right now that you aren't doing the right thing."

Tsunade's eyes snapped up and the two teammates' eyes locked gazes. "You fucking bastard! You're the one who came up with the whole plan to have them become Jounin! I agreed with your plan because I trusted that you would do the right thing! You fucking lied to me!" she shouted.

The Godaime Hokage was beyond mad, she was livid. Her only loyal teammate, the one person that she had trusted, had lied to her. Being manipulated by one of the last people that she grew up with hurt more than she cared to admit. She didn't know why she was lied to, but she was determined to find out his reason.

"I didn't lie to you."

"No? Then why did you just tell me that I'm not doing the right thing?"

"Because you aren't."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Let me ask you this Tsunade: Has anyone in war ever done the right thing?"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Of course! Minato did the right thing during the war with Iwa!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at his teammate's expression. "Did he now? So razing their farms and letting them die of starvation was the right thing?"

"It won us the war, didn't it?"

"I'm not arguing with you about that. It's just that it wasn't the right thing to do."

"Would you have let them kill the men and take the women and use them as sex slaves and the children as slaves instead?"

"No, I'm just saying that it wasn't the morally right thing to do. The morally right thing to do would have been to solve the dispute peacefully. But given the circumstances, it was the choice that would have the best outcome for us."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're making the best choice that you can under the circumstances."

Tsunade drained her sake saucer before filling it up again. "War sucks," she said with a slight pout on her face.

Jiraiya had to grin at her expression. In front of him was easily the strongest kunoichi in all the Elemental Countries and here she was, pouting like a child. Despite her childish appearance, her statement couldn't be refuted.

"It does, but what are you going to do about it? We fight so that the next generations won't have to."

"Do you actually believe that Jiraiya? That one day there will be no need for shinobi?"

"No. There will always be someone who has to do something to disturb the peace. But I hope that the next generations won't have to face anything as terrible as the Secret Wars, or any battles or wars that involve more than two countries."

Tsunade sighed and stared out her window yet again. "That would be a nice world to live in."

"That it would," her teammate agreed. "But first, we have to set the stage for it. And that means making sure that Konoha doesn't fall in the coming months."

"Right," Tsunade said with a slight blush. She couldn't help but admire how Jiraiya was handling things. He wasn't the Hokage, and technically he didn't even have to be in the village right now, but here he was, helping her. Had their positions been switched and if she had not met Naruto, she knew that she wouldn't have returned to help Konoha.

"Tsunade, are you blushing?" Jiraiya asked in an incredulous tone.

"N-no. It's just the sake. I got an extra strong one."

"Okay, well I know how we can get away with killing Danzo."

"How?" Tsunade asked, glad that her previous order had kept Jiraiya too busy with thinking up of a plan to notice her blush.

"Well, we all know how strenuous shinobi training is. We'll just tell the Council that Danzo tried to add more recruits to his NE program and one of the recruits snapped and killed him."

Tsunade smiled at her teammate. "Very sly…and it would allow us to get our hands dirty…"

"That it would, that it would Tsu-chan."

--

"Wow Hinata-chan, Baachan must have really taught you well! I didn't think that you would have been able to learn her strength technique!" Naruto proclaimed.

Hinata seethed inside. Did he think that she was a failure, just like the rest of her clan did?

"Ano…Sakura-san learned it," she pointed out.

"Well, yeah, I know she would have been able to learn it, but I didn't think that you would have been able to."

"Why not? D-do you t-think so l-little of me?" she asked.

"Huh? No, but I just didn't think that your clan would let you learn anything out of Jyuuken. I mean, I've never seen or heard of a Hyuuga using anything other than Jyuuken."

Hinata's face softened as she realized what Naruto-san had been trying to say. "S-so, you didn't think that I was too m-m-much of a f-failure to learn it?"

"Failure? You? Who told you that you're a failure?"

"Ano…well, I'm n-not a very good kunoichi…I'm always d-dragging my team down…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Really? Well, do you always try your best? Do you give up if you don't succeed the first time?"

"H-hai."

"Well then, how can you be a failure?"

"Ano, Neji-niisan is better at Jyuuken than I a-am."

Naruto waved a hand in the air. "Bah, who cares? And he's a so-called genius. Not everybody can be a genius, you know. But being a genius doesn't mean anything."

"Nani?"

"Look at me. I'm sure you remember that I was the dobe, right? And then I beat the Rookie of the Year in a match. And he was a genius too!"

Hinata slowly digested his words. They did make sense. Now, if only her clan would share the same opinions as Naruto-san did.

"So, how did you training trip go?" he said, breaking her out of her trance.

"Hmmm? Oh, i-it was fine."

"I bet you learned a lot of new stuff with Yamato-sensei, huh?"

Hinata lifted her head in interest at Naruto's statement. "D-did you learn a lot about elemental manipulation?"

"Yup! Hey, if you want, maybe I could get him to teach you about it!"

"W-would you r-r-really? That would be wonderful!"

Naruto looked up at the sky to judge the time. "Hey Hinata-chan? I need to meet up with Ero-Sennin. I'll be here for a few more days, do you want to keep on sparring while I'm here?"

Hinata immediately flushed red, even though she tried to control her emotions. "I would love that," she answered.

"Great! I'll come find you when I'm done meeting with Ero-Sennin, okay?"

"H-hai!"

As Naruto and Hinata both left the training grounds in different directions, they both had the same thought going through their heads: _'That was the best sparring session ever!'_

--

"**The ningen seems to be doing better,"** commented Bahamut as he and his fellow Council Members along with Mikomi.

Mikomi's fur bristled as she heard Bahamut refer to her otouto as 'ningen'. The word itself wasn't an insult, but the way that the dragon said it made it seem as though he had to force himself to utter the words.

"**The blood-thirsty fool is right for once,"** Enma muttered.

It had been two days since Naruto had arrived at Konoha and had his first sparring with the Hyuuga heiress. Unbeknownst to the two, the summons had been monitoring their every move because Mikomi was worried that Naruto mind end up doing something that he would regret later on. Luckily, that wasn't the case.

"**It seems that sparring with Hinata-san has greatly improved his mood,"** Katsuya commented.

"**Indeed. Which leads me to think that he should spend a few more days in Konoha to rest and spar with her,"** Mikomi boldly stated.

"**No,"** Bahamut immediately stated. **"We can not waste any time on frivolous matters, such as those of the heart. Every minute he has should be spent on training. Besides, we already gave him a few days. He doesn't need anymore relaxation time."**

"**But he has already finished training with your clan, has he not?" **questioned Enma.

"**That he has, but he has not yet perfected it. It will be sufficient for the battles that will come, but if there is any time left over, any time at all, then he should be training. More training can never hurt in preparation for war,"** reasoned Bahamut.

"**It will if his moral is broken and he has nothing left to live for. He has gone through his whole life looking for acceptance. And now, he has found the one that he wants acceptance from the most-Hinata-san. If he is told that he has to train instead of sparring with her, then he will undoubtedly perform worse than he would if he had just missed a day or two of training to spar with Hinata-san,"** countered Hikari.

Bahamut snorted in disgust**. "Fine, I'll relent on this issue seeing as I'm outnumbered. But know this-when the time comes, and he finds that his power is insufficient, then just remember that I said that he needed more training."**

Hikari tilted her head as she watched the two shinobi sparring with one another. **"Hinata-san doesn't seem to be the type that would become a kunoichi. Her heart is too pure. See how she pulls her strikes before they connect with Naruto-san?"**

Katsuya nodded her head as she agreed with her old friend. **"It's a good thing that she studied under Tsunade-sama in order to become an accomplished iryo-nin. I often wonder what type of world they live in where even the most gentle of people must become shinobi."**

"**A tough one,"** answered Mikomi. **"But at least they are able to find some happiness in their lives," she stated as she smiled as she saw Naruto helping Hinata up after he threw her to the ground.**

Gamabunta chuckled as he saw the interaction between the two teenagers. **"Ahhh…the best times are during the courting stage of a relationship. I remember them like they happened yesterday…"**

Enma raised an eyebrow in amusement. **"You remember **_**all**_** of them? You have what, twenty wives?"**

The giant Toad Boss blew a smoke ring at the Monkey Boss, which completely enveloped him**. "Of course I do! And it's actually twenty-four now, soon to be twenty-five."**

Katsuya snorted with slight disgust. **"At times, it's hard to tell who's more perverted, you or your summoner."**

Before the two summons could start arguing with one another, Mikomi spoke up**. "Hold your tongues, both of you! I think Naruto's about to do something!"**

--

"W-what are you doing?"

"Shhh…don't think about it. Just let it happen naturally."

"D-don't do this!"

Suddenly, without warning, something long and hard penetrated through the soft skin. A soft gasp escaped through the lips as the penetration continued. Suddenly, without warning, he pulled out quickly and shoved it roughly back in.

"W-why?"

"Because you have been feeding Orochimaru information...and the punishment for treason is death."

Just moments ago, Jiraiya had snuck into Danzo's house in order to kill the traitor. However, the old shinobi had gotten lucky and noticed the Sannin's presence and dodged just before Jiraiya was able to swing his kunai down into his skull.

Despite his impressive dodge, he wasn't able to dodge Tsunade's kick which broke both of his legs, leaving him immobile on the ground, at which point he started questioning their actions.

The two Sannin stared emotionlessly at the dying elder on the ground. Despite the fact that Danzo was dying, neither one let their guard down. They didn't want to take the chance that he would somehow escape Konoha and warn Orochimaru that they were onto his plan.

"Oh, and just so you know none of those messenger birds of yours made it out of the Fire Country. My toads took care of them."

"And your dream of becoming Hokage and ruling this village with an iron fist? It'll never come to fruit because the only person that I'll hand the title of Hokage over to will be none other than Uzumaki Naruto."

Even though he was dying, Danzo managed to look at Tsunade with shock clear in his eyes. "You…you would put the safety of the entire village…in the hands of a demon?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tsunade kicked the dying man in the stomach with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs, but not enough to kill him. "Don't you dare call him a demon, ever again! He will make a finer Hokage than you ever could!"

Danzo started to laugh, but his humor was cut off short as he started to cough up blood. "I can only hope…that you live long enough to see the folly of your plan…to see Konoha destroyed by the very 'boy' that you put in charge of the village."

"Naruto would never do that! He loves this village!"

Danzo raised his only visible eyebrow. "He does now though. But do you honestly think that the villagers and shinobi of this village will accept him and treat him differently just because he is the Hokage? Of course they won't. As soon as Uzumaki realizes that, he will lose all faith in this village, at which point he'll destroy the village." By the time Danzo finished his little speech, his skin was starting to lose all of its color, due to blood loss.

Jiraiya leaned closer to tell the dying man, to whisper something in his ear. "One thing you should know before you die is that Naruto's paternal last name is…Namikaze."

The elder's eye widened in shock before he started to chuckle. "No wonder Sarutobi fought so hard against me when I wanted to take him under my wing. To think that I could have had the son of the Yondaime Hokage, the strongest Hokage in the history of Konoha, and Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the most powerful of all Bijuu as one of my subordinates. My NE ANBU would have been unstoppable…Oh, the glory that I would have had."

When he finished what he had to say, a smile spread across his face as he thought of how things could have been, had he been able to train Naruto. With a long and laborious breath, Danzo, traitor to Konoha, died.

"That went rather well. Are you going to tell the Council now?"

"Might as well, there's a War Council meeting in five minutes."

"Well, good luck with the old farts. I have some research to do."

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with me. After al, you're my advisor."

"Shit," Jiraiya answered as he followed Tsunade towards the Hokage Tower, " I hate meetings…"

--

Naruto plopped himself down on the ground next to the Hyuuga heiress. "Whew, that was intense Hinata-chan! You've really gotten better these past three years!"

Hinata couldn't help but blush at her crush…ex-crush's compliments. "A-arigato Naruto-san."

'_I wonder why she doesn't use 'kun' anymore…'_ Not being one for subtly, Naruto just came out and voiced his thoughts.

"Neh, Hinata-chan, how come you don't call me 'Naruto-kun' anymore?"

Hinata anxiously toed the dirt. "Ano…well…that should be a privilege f-for Sakura-san to use."

"Eh? So I shouldn't call you 'Hinata-chan'? Only Kiba and Shino can do that?"

"Ano…I don't mind if you do."

Naruto nodded his head as he understood what she was telling him. Kinda. Girls always confused him with the way they talked. Ero-sennin had once told him that girls always mean the opposite of what they said.

'_But,'_ he reasoned to himself, _'Hinata-chan just told me that I can call her that. And why would she lie if she didn't want me to use the 'chan' suffix with her name? It's not like Ero-sennin knows everything. He doesn't even have a wife or girlfriend, how would he know?'_

"Naruto-kun, I have to go now. W-will we be able to spar again t-tomorrow?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I think so. I'm not sure if I have to get back to my mission tomorrow, but I should still be here. I mean, my contacts haven't given me any new orders, so I can't say."

"Then w-will I see you t-t-tomorrow?" After Naruto nodded his head, Hinata stood up to leave. However, as soon as she got to her feet, she felt her knees buckle underneath her and she fell back to the ground. The Hyuuga heiress closed her eyes before she hit the ground, partially out of instinct and the other out of embarrassment.

'_Some kunoichi I am, falling on the ground as soon as I stand up. I guess my endurance isn't as high as I thought it was. This means that I have to step up my training regimen,'_ she thought. Before she could continue to pick out her flaws, something else caught her train of thought.

'_The ground shouldn't be this hard and warm…' _she thought before she opened her eyes to see where she had landed. A second after she registered where she was, her face was a bright red.

Her right hand had landed on Naruto's shoulder, while her left hand had landed right between Naruto's legs. Luckily, his legs had been spread apart so she didn't touch anything…private.

Hinata managed to raise her head and stare Naruto straight in the face. He looked just as stunned as she was, while a hint of amusement was dancing in his eyes.

"A-ano…N-n-naruto-kun…I'm v-very sorry!"

"Eh, don't worry about it Hinata-chan, I forget how tired I am all the time! In fact, I usually pass out from exhaustion at the training grounds!"

As soon as Naruto finished his statement, his brain registered how close the two were. Their faces were literally inches apart. He could see the shy girl…no, woman, in front of him tremble at their close proximity.

"P-p-please f-forgive me Naruto-san!"

Instead of answering her, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. At first, Hinata was unresponsive. But moments later, she brought her hands, which had previously been motionless at her side, to encircle his neck with her left hand and used her right hand to grab the back of Naruto's hair and leaned closer into the kiss.

For a moment, everything was perfect. Naruto was in heaven. Hinata was finally living out her dream. And that moment went on, and on, and on…until…

"N-naruto-san…I…we can't d-do this," she said as she broke of their kiss and moved her arms to rest against her sides.

Naruto stared at her in confusion. "Why? Because of Kiba?"

Hinata stared at the ground in embarrassment while she brought her fingers together. Here was the man of her dreams, kissing her, and she had to break it off. She was living her most desired dream, and she broke it off because it was the right thing to do. She was dating someone else though, and she didn't want to be called a slut.

It was the right thing to do, but it hurt so much.

"H-hai. And…b-because of Sakura-san."

"Eh? What's she have to do with us?" Naruto asked, being completely baffled. Just seconds ago, Naruto was having a perfect time; he was finally making out with the girl that he couldn't get his mind off of for the past three years.

"Well…she is r-rather…close to you…" Hinata started. She didn't want to tell him that he had to break off his relationship with her in order to date her. After all, she wasn't sure that Naruto wanted to date her…maybe he was just a womanizer.

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Well…if I explain things to her, would you go out with me then?"

Hinata's eyes lit up with joy. He was willing to leave Sakura-san so he could date her? Her dreams _were_ coming true! A large smile covered her face as she realized what he was about to do.

"H-hai! And I'll break it off with Kiba-kun!"

Now it was Naruto's turn to smile. "That's awesome Hinata-chan!" he said as he leaned in for another kiss.

This time, Hinata didn't wait to get closer to Naruto. She snaked her arms around the back of his neck again and kissed him for all she was worth.

When the two finally broke the kiss, it wasn't because of their morals, but because they needed to breathe.

"Hinata-chan…would you just like to rest here for a bit longer?"

"Hmm…I was going to buy some more kunai."

"Oh," Naruto said as he tried to conceal his disappointment.

Hinata smiled as she brought a finger to trace his whiskers. She reveled in the fact that every time she traced his whiskers he seemed to shudder in delight. The Hyuuga heiress put that little tid-bit of information to the side.

"But…I think that can wait until later. Being with you is much more important now, Naruto-kun."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? So it's back to Naruto-kun now, is it?"

Hinata leaned against Naruto, resting her head on his chest. "H-hai. It just seems to be t-the right t-thing to say n-n-now."

The two closed their eyes as they watched the sun set, both embracing one another. Both were unaware that in a different realm, six pairs of eyes were watching them, and that each one of those watching were extremely happy for the two.

And what the new couple and those watching them in a different realm didn't know, was that there were eight pairs of eyes that were watching the new couple. Just like the others spying on them, these spies, was also happy for the couple.

But what the new couple did know was that this…this was how things should be. Held in each other's grasp, without a care in the world. Nothing, not even the upcoming invasion, could ruin Naruto's mood.

'Is…is this what love feels like?' he wondered. As he stared at Hinata's form resting against his chest, with her face still slightly red from embarrassment, he knew that this…this was love.

The two stayed in that position until the sun had completely disappeared. Naruto shook Hinata, waking her up from her nap. She stared up at her new boyfriend, with confusion clear in her eyes.

"W-what's wrong Naruto-kun?" she asked, clearly worried that he was going to rebuke her.

"I'm kinda hungry. Want to go get some ramen? My treat," he said with a smile.

Hinata smiled back at him and answered, "H-hai. Ramen sounds good."

Naruto stood up and offered his hand to her to help her up. As Hinata was pulled up, she kissed Naruto on the cheek. She enjoyed the way that his face turned a light shade of red from the kiss. However, he didn't let that stop him from grabbing her hand and leading her to Ichiraku's.

The two walked out of the training grounds, and headed in the direction of Teuchi's ramen stand.

And this moment, as the two were walking hand-in-hand towards the small ramen stand, was also perfect. And so would every moment that the two would spend together.

At least, that was what Naruto thought. After all, how could spending time with the most beautiful women in Konoha be anything but perfect?

--

**A/N:** Once again, I would like to apologize for being so late. I'm not going to give my reasons for taking so long again, but I will apologize again.

There were probably errors (grammar, spelling, and contradicting facts, etc.) in this chapter, but I want to post this now. I'll put up an edited version later. If I remember to.

Yes, I know that this chapter didn't have much action. It was, as the chapter title suggested, basically a filler. I just needed to speed up the timeline. More action in the next chapter, I promise. Plus, more drama…that can either be a good thing or not, depending on what you think of drama.

Oh, and I have decided to shorten my chapters. From now on, they will be around forty pages. Well, I'll try for that anyways.

Just to let everyone know, I hate how the manga is going right now. I think that a certain Uchiha is far too overpowered. Especially with what happened in the most current issue. Blatant over-powering anyone?

On, and the thread for this story is in my profile. If you have questions, please post them there. Or if you just want to discuss it or what not.

Anyways, please review! I live off of reviews! And flames…well, why not? I get to argue with someone, and that's always fun.


	7. A Large Step Backwards

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be putting this story up here, it would be cannon. Or AU…I dunno…

**A/N:** So sorry about the delay. A bunch of things came up (first year at college, work, etc.) I'll put more in the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter, but for now, on with the story! Enjoy!

'_Thoughts_'

"Regular Talk"

"**Demon/Inner Self/Boss Summon Talk**"

'_**Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts**_'

Last Time:

"Hinata-chan…would you just like to rest here for a bit longer?"

"Hmm…I was going to buy some more kunai."

"Oh," Naruto said as he tried to conceal his disappointment.

Hinata smiled as she brought a finger to trace his whiskers. She reveled in the fact that every time she traced his whiskers he seemed to shudder in delight. The Hyuuga heiress put that little tid-bit of information to the side.

"But…I think that can wait until later. Being with you is much more important now, Naruto-kun."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? So it's back to Naruto-kun now, is it?"

Hinata leaned against Naruto, resting her head on his chest. "H-hai. It just seems to be t-the right t-thing to say n-n-now."

The two closed their eyes as they watched the sun set, both embracing one another. Both were unaware that in a different realm, six pairs of eyes were watching them, and that each one of those watching were extremely happy for the two.

And what the new couple and those watching them in a different realm didn't know, was that there were eight pairs of eyes that were watching the new couple. Just like the others spying on them, these spies, was also happy for the couple.

But what the new couple did know was that this…this was how things should be. Held in each other's grasp, without a care in the world. Nothing, not even the upcoming invasion, could ruin Naruto's mood.

'Is…is this what love feels like?' he wondered. As he stared at Hinata's form resting against his chest, with her face still slightly red from embarrassment, he knew that this…this was love.

The two stayed in that position until the sun had completely disappeared. Naruto shook Hinata, waking her up from her nap. She stared up at her new boyfriend, with confusion clear in her eyes.

"W-what's wrong Naruto-kun?" she asked, clearly worried that he was going to rebuke her.

"I'm kinda hungry. Want to go get some ramen? My treat," he said with a smile.

Hinata smiled back at him and answered, "H-hai. Ramen sounds good."

Naruto stood up and offered his hand to her to help her up. As Hinata was pulled up, she kissed Naruto on the cheek. She enjoyed the way that his face turned a light shade of red from the kiss. However, he didn't let that stop him from grabbing her hand and leading her to Ichiraku's.

The two walked out of the training grounds, and headed in the direction of Teuchi's ramen stand.

And this moment, as the two were walking hand-in-hand towards the small ramen stand, was also perfect. And so would every moment that the two would spend together.

At least, that was what Naruto thought. After all, how could spending time with the most beautiful women in Konoha be anything but perfect?

**Chapter 7: A Large Step Backwards**

"So you want to court my daughter?"

"No, I do not."

"Then why have you requested an audience with me?"

"I do not want to spend time courting your daughter, Hiashi-sama. I wish to marry her."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Marriage? You don't want to court her first?"

"With all due respect Hiashi-sama, I do not see the need for the courting. We have known each other for years, ever since the Academy, even if we didn't speak to each other very often. And you know that we are already dating, and have been for a while."

The leader of the Hyuuga clan stared at the young man in front of him, and started to think of both the pros and cons of allowing the shinobi to marry his daughter.

'_He is a rather strong shinobi, despite his...uncivilized upbringing. But, they don't have to get married right away. I could give him…six months or so for him to become more civilized and learn the duties that the husband of the Hyuuga heiress would be expected to do. Getting the Elders to agree to this marriage would be rather tough, but…Hinata has been happier than before. She was even happier when she came back from her training trip. I would endure countless of battles with the Elders if it meant keeping her happy.' _

Before he gave his consent to their union, he had one more thing to ask.

"Have you even asked my daughter if she wants to get married?"

"No, but I'm sure that she'll say yes."

"Well, before I agree to anything, you need to ask her first."

"I will. Once I get her agreement, then what else is required?"

"Get her consent first. Once that is taken care of, then we will go from there. Know this though-your marriage will not take place soon. It will most likely be months before you two can be married."

"What?! Months?! Why? We could just go to a shrine and have a monk marry us tonight if we want!"

Hiashi vehemently stared at the angry young man in front of him. "Would you dare go against tradition? The normal engagement period for two Hyuuga's marrying one another is four months at the least. Since you are not of our clan, the engagement session will take a bit longer."

Hinata's suitor bowed his head in apology. "Please accept my apologies Hiashi-sama, I spoke out of place. It is just that I know that the two of us are destined to be together, and I don't know why we can't be united sooner."

Hiashi nodded his head, accepting his apology. "I understand. It is just that it has been many years since a marriage has taken place between a Hyuuga and someone from outside the clan. These things take time, and the Hyuuga, as a clan, do not like to rush things."

Taking his statement as a sign that their conversation was ended, he got up to leave.

"One more thing," the Hyuuga head stated. "I would like to wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. And if you ever hurt my daughter in any way, I _will_ kill you," he said, sealing his threat by activating his Byakugan.

"Arigato Hiashi-sama. And I would never _dream_ of hurting Hinata-chan."

-----------------------------

"Naruto-kun, I h-have to g-go home now," Hinata stated as she and Naruto took a breather in their make-out session. The two had finished sparring for the day, and instead of sitting around waiting to catch their breath, the two had decided that making out was a much better way to regain their lost stamina. They were in the same position that they were in when they had first kissed one another, nearly two days ago.

"Awww, do you have to go Hinata-chan?" Naruto whined.

Hinata smiled as she saw how cute her boyfriend was when he complained. "Hai, o-otouson is waiting for me. I t-think he w-wants to t-test my skill in Jyuuken."

Naruto felt his girlfriend slightly shiver when she mentioned being tested by her father, and he immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"Listen to me Hinata-chan: You are far different from the girl that you were three years ago. You can do this; don't let anyone belittle you anymore. Don't let anyone treat you like you're trash, because you are better than a queen even."

Hinata smiled as she heard her boyfriend's encouragement and she kissed the tip of his nose before she stood up and prepared to go back to her clan's manor. "Arigato Naruto-kun."

The Hyuuga heiress was walking out of the training grounds when she turned around and asked, "Naruto-kun, same time tomorrow?"

Naruto smiled as he replied that they would indeed meet at the same time tomorrow for what had become their daily sparring session. Surprisingly enough, Kiba never took Naruto up on his offer to spar with them. Not that either one of the new couple reminded him, or any of their other friends for that matter, of the open sparring session.

Naruto watched as his girlfriend walked away and admired how her hair reflected the afternoon sunlight. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered how he had thought that she was an angel when he was recovering in the hospital after Sasuke's departure, and how she looked the part now.

He let out a small sigh when she went out of sight. Naruto had really come to enjoy his girlfriend's company, and he felt like something was missing whenever she left his side.

'_Hmm…I guess I should go and tell Sakura about Hinata and me. After all, Hinata wanted me to tell her two days ago, but I never got around to it,'_ he thought before he got up and walked towards the Hokage Tower, where Sakura should be training with Tsunade.

-----------------------

"There will be a change of plans," Pein said to all the assembled Akatsuki members.

"And why is that?" Itachi asked.

"Because," started Zetsu, "I have just discovered that Kumogakure has _two_ jinchuuriki, rather than one."

"Who is the second one?" Kakuzu asked. "I was only aware that they had the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata, Nii Yugito."

"None other than the current Raikage's younger brother, the jinchuuriki to the Hachibi," Pein answered. "And this one is much stronger than Yugito; at his current level, he may be able to defeat Uzumaki Naruto while he is using the Kyuubi's chakra."

"So, what's the plan? Will I be able to satisfy Jashin's hunger?" questioned Hidan.

"Yes, you will. A week before the scheduled invasion, we will meet with Kumo and Iwa to 'evaluate' the strength of their forces. During the evaluation, we will take the jinchuurikis, by force if necessary, and take out as many of the assembled shinobi as we can. The more the better, for there will be a smaller chance of a retaliation force being assembled."

"So we betray them, and extract the Bijuu?" questioned Kisame.

"Hai. After the extraction process, we will continue our plan to assault Konoha with Oto. However, our goal will not be to cause destruction to Konoha, but rather to extract the jinchuuriki. As soon as he is in our grasp, Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, and Tobi will kill Orochimaru and rejoin us as we head for our main base. Hidan, Kakuzu, and Zetsu will cover our retreat."

"This sounds really fun!" proclaimed Tobi as he jumped up and down in joy.

Deidara palmed his face in frustration. "Tobi, shut up!"

"Tobi is a good boy!" he yelled before he pretended to zip his lips shut and throw away the key.

"Now, does anyone see any problems with the plan?" questioned Pein.

A chorus of 'No's answered his question. "Very well then, you are all dismissed."

When only Pein and Konan remained in the chamber, a third figure entered their field of vision.

"Very well done Pein, very well done indeed."

"Arigatou Madara-sama. Are you sure that this is the best plan of action to take?"

Madara nodded his head. "Hai, it will make the extraction process much faster. With the power of the other eight Bijuu powering the statue, it will make the extraction process faster. The faster the process is, the better because I'm sure that Konoha will send several of their strongest shinobi after us to retrieve Naruto."

Konan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Do you believe that Konoha will be able to defeat Orochimaru and his forces, especially with the help that you've given him on the cursed seals?"

"I did not say that," Madara answered. "I just believe that several of Konoha's strongest, such as Senju Tsunade and Jiraiya, value the life of Naruto over the life of their village. When Konoha learns that we have captured Naruto, I'm sure that Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others who care about him will chase after us, even if Orochimaru's forces are still attacking Konoha."

"Will there be contingency plans?" Pein asked.

"At this time, no. But, if the situation should arise, then yes, I will implement one," the true leader of Akatuski answered. "You may leave now, I have much work I must do."

Pein and Konan both bowed to Madara before they left. The oldest Uchiha alive smiled to himself as all his plans were unfolding. His revenge would be very sweet indeed.

----------------------------------

Naruto was sitting in the entrance of the Konoha Hospital, waiting for his teammate to finish her shift at the hospital.

"Oi, Sakura-chan!"

The pink-haired kunoichi turned around to see who was calling her name. When she saw that it was Naruto, she frowned.

"Naruto! Aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

"Nope! I got a few days off before I have to get back though, so I decided that I would just relax for the rest of time that I got here in Konoha."

Sakura raised one eyebrow in amusement. "By 'relax' you mean train yourself to exhaustion?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Eh…sorta. I guess. Part of the time, anyways."

"Well, then what have you been doing for the rest of the time that you aren't training or sleeping? Pigging out at Ichiraku's?"

"Not really. I couldn't really pig out."

"And why is that? Nothing ever stopped you before."

"Well, I was eating there with Hinata-chan."

"When I ate there with you, it never stopped you from eating like a pig!" Suddenly, Sakura realized what her teammate had just said. "Wait…did you just say Hinata-_chan_?"

Naruto nodded, obviously pleased with himself. He wasn't sure how to tell his violent teammate that he was dating Hinata. But, Hinata had asked him to tell her, so he would do it, even if he had to fight through all the ANBU in Konoha to do it.

Sakura started to positively beam when she saw her teammate nod. "Well, it's about damn time you noticed her feelings!"

"You don't have to tell me that! I was just waiting for the right time."

"And the right time was what, close to ten years after the two of you met?"

"Well, you don't have to rub it in! I was just nervous, okay?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think that it would be better to keep it to herself and shut her mouth before she pulled him into an embrace.

"Oh, come here you big oaf!"

Naruto grunted as he felt Sakura gave him a bear hug. If he had been any weaker, he was sure that he would have been ground to a pulp. Not only was the hug painful, but he was still unused to such close contact.

"I'm so glad you found someone that you love niisan," Sakura whispered into his ear. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but tear up. Much to her dismay, several tears fell onto Naruto's shoulder.

Konoha's resident jinchuuriki returned the hug when he felt the tears hit his shoulder. "Sakura…don't worry, I promised to bring Sasuke back no matter what, remember? And once I bring him back, the two of you can start reviving the Uchiha clan right away!"

Sakura hiccupped and tried to stop her tears from getting her brother any wetter. "But…what if he isn't the one that I really love?"

"Then you'll meet him some day and have lots and lots of kids!"

The pink-haired kunoichi sniffed and dried her eyes with hands. "Enough about me, what about you and Hinata?"

"Huh? What about us?"

"Are you two in love?"

Naruto's eyes darkened a bit as he contemplated his teammate's question. "I…I don't know. I mean, I really like her, but what's love? Love is a really strong word. I want to say I love her, but do I really?"

"You've been spending a lot of time with her, right? Well, why are you spending time with her? Do you just want to get stronger during your training sessions or is there another reason?"

"I really enjoy the time that we spend with one another. It's like…I don't know how to explain it, but whenever I'm with her, I feel a lot happier. I just feel so good that I'm afraid that it won't last forever."

Sakura smiled as she heard her oblivious teammate try to describe love. "You're in love. When you love someone, you feel as though you can't be happier, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know? Why didn't I know?"

The pink-haired kunoichi's smile of glee turned to one of sadness. "It wasn't your fault. You were never adopted, right? That means that you never got to feel the warmth of a mother's hug, or the pride that comes from being complimented by a father. Are…are you afraid of being in love?"

"I…I don't know. I guess I am. I mean…I want to be in love and happy and all that, but then I think of Gaara, and everything that he had to go through…"

"Sabaku no Gaara? The Kazekage of Sunagakure? What does he have to do with love?"

"You remember the kanji on his forehead, don't you?"

Sakura didn't have to think hard to recall what was inscribed on his forehead. "Love. The kanji for love is on his forehead."

Naruto nodded his head. "It's there for a reason. I would tell you why, but it's not something that should be coming from me. Needless to say though, we're a lot alike."

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "How? I mean, he's really quiet, and you're not."

"Neither of us have had a pleasant past."

"A pleasant past? You mean how he used to kill anyone he wanted, whenever he wanted? You never did anything like that."

Naruto sighed and stared up at the sky. He wasn't quite ready to tell Sakura his greatest secret, the fact that he was a jinchuuriki. "There are other…circumstances that connect the two of us."

Sakura had enough tact to realize that her teammate just wanted to drop the subject, so she did. "Anyways, besides that, you have nothing to be afraid of. I bet she cares even more for you than you do of her."

"Really?"

"Yes. She's been after you for years now, and even when you were gone for your three year training trip, she didn't even go on a single date. If that devotion of hers isn't love, then I have no idea what is."

Naruto smiled as he heard his teammate share her logic. "Then I guess…I guess I really do love her."

'_Maybe…maybe not all jinchuuriki have to live a life without being loved…'_

Naruto leaned forward and kissed his teammate on the forehead.

Sakura started to blush immediately and managed to stammer out, "W-what was that for?"

"I read that family kiss each other on the cheeks and foreheads."

"Oh. You know, it's nice having a brother. I've always wondered what it would be like to have an older brother looking out for me."

"And I've always wondered what it would be like to have a younger sister telling me when I'm being stupid."

"I guess we make quite the family then, huh? You should get going, I don't want to make you late for your date with Hinata! I doubt she would be pleased if she found out that you were late for your training because you were with another girl!"

"I guess you're right. I'll see you around!" Naruto yelled as he turned around and headed towards the training grounds.

As he ran past a clump of trees, he smelled a hint of lavenders in the air. _'I love Hinata-chan so much, that I'm smelling her all the time!'_ Naruto thought with a smile on his face.

If only that were so. If only that were so.

-----------------------

"Is there a leak?"

"I don't know. There must be one though. Konoha's forces have been attacking our bases with far too much efficiency for there not to be one."

"What are you going to do?"

"I will do nothing. For now, I must spend my time giving more of our forces the modified cursed seals and teaching Sasuke-kun new jutsus."

Kabuto frowned, obviously displeased with the turn of events. "I can understand why you will be giving more shinobi the cursed seal, but why are you teaching Sasuke-kun even more jutsus? Don't you think that he has more than enough?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Need I remind you that I will be taking over his body soon? If his body already knows the jutsus from previous use, it will make it that much easier to complete my goal."

Kabuto nodded and bowed his head in appology. "I see. Please forgive me Orochimaru-sama," he pleaded.

"Very well. I suppose it wasn't too big of a mistake that you made. However, I still need you to attend to Alpha-152."

Kabuto quickly ran through the different code names that his master assigned to his numerous projects. Despite the vastness of them, it only took him a few seconds to recall it.

"Alpha-152…the Gennin that received the Cursed Seal last week?"

"Hai. I wish to know how they are doing."

Kabuto lifted an eyebrow in confusion. The snake-sennin was many things, but a compassionate man he was not.

"May I ask why you want me to check on them? Last I heard, none of them died."

"There are two reasons. The first is because I want you to find out how Akatsuki's variation of my own seal allows the host almost a 100% chance of survival. How is it that they improve my very own seal? I also want you to see if there are other seals in it that can kill them with a single command or something along those lines. I wouldn't put it past them to add in a seal that would kill them instantly just to keep me in line."

"Secondly, I want you to train them. I doubt that they will be able to fight their best if they are using their powers form the cursed seals without prior training. They will not be used to their enhanced speed and strength, and as such they will be vulnerable."

"But aren't they going to be used as cannon fodder? What's the point in having me train them if they're going to be killed anyway?"

"If they are trained well, they could bolster my own forces after the invasion is over. Besides, I will need all the shinobi I can get to help me fight Akatsuki."

Kabuto's eyes widened and he had to take several deep breaths before he spoke up. "But we're in an alliance with them! Do you truly intend to betray them a second time?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm not the one who will be doing the betraying," Orochimaru remarked coldly. "They will make the first move. After all, I still have one of their rings, and they will stop at nothing to get it back."

Kabuto paled. The thought of having to face nine S-ranked criminals frightened him to say the least. "Is that why you have been giving so many of our shinobi the cursed seal?"

"Yes. That is also why I need you to check for any death seals."

Kabut unconsciously shuddered. "Fuuinjutsu truly is a scary thing. To think, that by just applying a little chakra to some ink, you could kill someone instantly."

Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "It is one of the only aspects of the shinobi arts that Jiraiya was better than me in. Luckily, his skill is nowhere near that of the Yondaime Hokage's skill.

Kabuto frowned. "But Jiraiya-sama is training Naruto-kun. Perhaps he also trained him in fuuinjutsu. And seeing as Naruto-kun is…"

Orochimaru spoke quickly, interrupting his most loyal subordinate. "It matters not. Fuuinjutsu is not like a kekki-genkai, that is to say, talent in it can not be passed down through birth, nor can excellence in it be taught. One either has the talent to use it or not; it is an innate skill, not a gained one."

Kabuto nodded and seeing as his master wasn't willing to say anything else he bowed and turned around and left.

"Kabuto-kun…one more thing. While you are seeing to Alpha-152, be wary of Konoha spies and scouts. They may have learned of the bases location through the leak. If you can, try to capture one alive and get any information from the spy that you can. You can use whatever method you think is most effective, as long as it doesn't kill the spy."

"Of course Orochimaru-sama. Will you be attending to that yourself?"

"That I will. Or, depending on who we capture, we can use them as a bargaining chip. You have your orders, now go."

"Hai Orochimaru-sama," he said before he turned around and left.

---------------------------

When Naruto arrived at the training grounds, he was rather surprised to see Hinata-chan there, furiously pounding away at one of the training posts. At all of their other training sessions, his girlfriend had always sat quietly under a tree waiting for him to arrive. It seemed as though she had not noticed his arrival, so he announced himself.

"Hi Hinata-chan! What are you up to?" he asked as he hugged her from behind. He took a deep breathe and reveled in her wondrous scent; a slight mix of lavender and some other scents that he couldn't identify.

"Training."

"Okay…would you like to spar?"

Hinata's eyes narrowed. How dare he act like nothing had happened? She had been there; she had seen everything. She quickly masked her anger behind a calm façade. "Of course, that's why we're here, isn't it?"

Naruto smiled. "Hinata-chan! You didn't stutter at all that time! That's great!" he cheered as he let go of Hinata and did some light stretches before falling into a taijutsu stance that Ero-Sennin had taught him.

Hinata smiled. "I guess that I did," she replied absent-mindedly. The fact that she had spoken without stuttering barely registered in her mind; instead, she was focusing on the fact that she would be able to take out her frustrations on Naruto.

As soon as Naruto fell into his stance, Hinata charged faster than she had ever gone before. She could see Naruto's shock in his eyes as he attempted to block her strikes. Unlike their other spars, she was no longer holding back. She didn't care about hurting Naruto with her Jyuuken strikes so she didn't limit the amount of chakra she used in her strikes. She didn't bother to pace herself, because all she cared about was causing as much damage to him before she was defeated.

Despite her anger, Hinata wasn't a fool. She knew that she couldn't win in a spar against Naruto unless she struck first and didn't relent in her assault. Naruto's stamina was just too big for her to hope to win in a prolonged spar.

Naruto was stunned. Hinata had never moved so fast in their spars before. Her Jyuuken strikes were also far more powerful; another first. And the way that she was moving made it obvious that she was going full out; she wasn't saving anything for later, meaning that she wanted to win the spar as quickly as possible.

Hinata's fully powered strikes proved to be too much for Naruto to take. Adding in her speed and his surprise, it was no wonder that she broke through his defense. With a small grin, she yelled, "Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou!"

Naruto was stunned both by the name of her attack and the speed at which it was delivered. 'I…I've never seen her move so fast before!' Moments later, after Hinata finished her attack, he fell down, flat on his butt.

Hinata was breathing rather heavily, and sweat was pouring down her face. Her heavy breathing did some interesting things to her chest, and made Naruto wish that she had kept her jacket on, because then maybe he wouldn't be so intent on staring, despite his best attempts not to.

Naruto tried to stand up, but the sudden loss of his chakra weakened him too much. Even propping himself up on his elbows was a difficult task. He managed to grin up at his girlfriend.

"Wow Hinata-chan, if you sparred like that all the time, then you would be really amazing! And that move you pulled off at the end, Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou, I thought only Neji knew it! It's really awesome that you can do it too!"

"Get up!" Hinata yelled.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. He may not have been the smartest person in the world, but even he could tell that something was wrong with Hinata. The list was rather long now that he thought back on it; Hinata was…attacking the training post before he got there, she didn't stutter, she moved faster than before, and her attacks were far more powerful than before.

"Is something wrong?" he asked meekly. This new side of Hinata was really scary.

Hinata fumed, and this time, she didn't bother to hide her emotions. Instead, she let them out.

"Wrong? Wrong?! Of course there is! I saw you!"

Naruto blinked. Hinata had the Byakugan, so she should have seen him. She really wasn't making all that much sense. "Ano…I don't understand…" he replied lamely.

Hinata glared at him and Naruto shrank under her glare. Her eyes, held no love for him, and their threatening gaze was only accentuated by her Byakugan, which she hadn't bothered to deactivate.

"Earlier. Not even twenty minutes ago, I saw you with her."

"Who? Sakura?"

"Who else?! You lied to me!"

"What? How? I did exactly what you asked me to!"

"Of course you did," she replied sarcastically. "I guess I just wasn't good enough for you? I was just some…some stepping stone for you to use to get to your goal?"

"What? Stepping stone? Goal? What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"No I don't! You're not being rational Hinata-chan!"

Hinata's glare just intensified. "Oh, I'm being perfectly rational Naruto-san!"

"No you're not!"

"Yes I am. And if you don't have it in you to be honest to me, then I don't see a future with the two of us being together."

Naruto just froze. Was she about to leave him.

"Hinata-chan…what…what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it's over!" she yelled before she turned around.

Naruto tried to get up, but he still hadn't recovered from Hinata's final attack. "Wait! Hinata-chan, please wait!" he pleaded and grabbed her leg.

"Let go!" she yelled as she shook her leg free from his grip. She turned around and glared at his prone form. When she saw his large blue eyes, filled with sadness, she almost broke down and forgave, but the image of him embracing Sakura burned even more intensely in her mind, and she uttered one last statement to her ex-boyfriend.

"I…I hate you Uzumaki Naruto," she stated before she turned around and left the training grounds, leaving one stunned shinobi.

"Wait! Hinata-chan! Don't leave! Let me explain!" he yelled. He struggled to get up once more, in order to catch up with her, but his limbs failed him. As he hit the ground yet again, he murmured through his tears, "Please…don't leave me…" However, it was too late for the young Hyuuga heiress was already out of hearing range. The last statement that she had uttered kept replaying in Naruto's mind.

Her last statement was rather surprising; it was the only time that Hyuuga Hinata had ever used the word 'hate' with regards to someone. Another surprising thing was the fact that even with her Byakugan on, she failed to notice the tears that streaked down Naruto's face as he saw her walk away, leaving him all alone in the training grounds, unable to move until his chakra points re-opened.

Unfortunately, due to the force that Hinata had used, they wouldn't open for another half-hour at the earliest, forcing the young Jinchuuriki to lay face down in the dirt, with only the image of Hinata leaving him and her last words to him for company. It was the longest half-hour of his life.

When he did manage to get up, the dirt beneath his face was no longer dirt…it was mud. Fresh mud.

--------------------------

"This is bad, very bad!" Tsunade shouted as she read over the information that Jiraiya had just handed her. "How reliable is this information?"

"Very. One of Naruto's kitsune's overheard it, and they have yet to have been wrong with any information that they have given us."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in amusement. "So once again, your student's skills surpass your own. You must be getting old, huh?"

Jiraiya glared at his teammate. "Skill has nothing to do with it. The gaki's just lucky that Orochimaru doesn't know that he is allied with Kitsunes. I can't use toads to spy on him because that would be too obvious and the problem with using my contacts is that there is always a chance that Orochimaru will find out who is loyal to me and feed me false information. Naruto, on the other hand, doesn't have that problem."

Tsuande shrugged her shoulders, obviously amused with her teammate. "Whatever. The fact still remains though, Orochimaru has somehow improved the cursed seal of his. That's going to give us major problems in the future."

"True, but we can't make proper plans if we don't know more about the seal. We should send in a reconnaissance team to this 'Alpha-152'."

"Why not send some of Naruto's kitsunes?"

"There's only so much that they can do. It would be better to send a reconnaissance team, especially if there's a Hyuuga on the team. That way, they can scout the area from far. Besides, humans can actually get into bars and brothels to gather information that way."

"Bars? That's your excuse for going to bars and brothels?" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"Yup. You know how loose people's tongues get when they're drunk, and guys will spill a lot just to impress the ladies. As long as you don't get drunk at bars or too caught up with the ladies at brothels, one can get tons of information."

Tsunade reluctantly nodded her head in acceptance. "I guess you're right. Anyways, which team should we send?"

Jiraiya scratched his head as he thought for a few moments. "Hmm…let's wait about two months before we send in any teams."

"Two months? Why would you want to wait for two months?"

"Those tests that Kabuto is going to be running are going to take a while. I know that he doesn't know much with regards to Fuuinjutsu, so that'll take him a while. And it wouldn't be a good idea to send in teams while 'Alpha-152' are being tested; it's very likely that security will be much higher because they'll be missing those Cursed Seal shinobi. Two months should be enough time for their training to have started."

"I see. Now, which team should we send? We could send in an ANBU team, but that might be a bit overkill."

"Why not send Kurenai's brats? You could also use this as the mission to see if they are eligible to be promoted to Jounin."

"Don't you think this is a bit extreme for shinobi of their rank?" Tsunade questioned. "There are tons of things that could go wrong and if they fail this mission, there will be dire consequences for Konoha."

"Hmmm…you're right. So send Naruto with them."

"What?"

"Send Naruto with them. He's easily Jounin-level, plus he's almost as good as me when it comes to infiltration skills. And if you give him another two months to train, I'm sure he'll be even better than he is now."

"Two months?" Tsuande asked with a raised eyebrow. "You were planning this from the beginning, weren't you? That's the real reason why you want to start the mission in two months, isn't it?"

"It was another deciding factor," Jiraiay admitted. "But it wasn't the only one. If the other ones that I told you about didn't exist, then I wouldn't have suggested it. But they are valid, and thus, you can wait for two months."

"Fine. The mission will take place in two months then."

"Heeheeheehee…time for me to go do my research!" Jiraiya proclaimed excitedly.

Tsunade's eye started to twitch. There was no way in hell that her teammate was going to go peek on the ladies at the onsen while she had to work on new battle plans. She quickly reached over her desk, and managed to grab him by the arm.

"Oh no you don't!" she yelled.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Tsu-chan, if you wanted to play rough, all you had to do was say so, and I would be more than happy to play along," he whispered seductively.

Tsunade released her grip, and gave him a death glare. "Shut it you pervert! I need your help to make new defense plans. You probably know the most about the Cursed Seals of anyone in Konoha."

Jiraiya sighed before he spoke up. "Fine. But just so you know, Naruto might know more about it than I do. After all, the main reason he learned about seals was so that he would be able to do something about the seal on Sasuke. For some reason, he thinks that the reason the Uchiha left was because of the seal."

"You don't think the seal messed with his mind?"

"No. I've done plenty of research on the seal, and while I can't find a way to remove it, I do know what it does and doesn't do; messing with the mind is one thing that it doesn't do."

"Do you think it would be beneficial if we had Naruto here to help us?" the Godiame Hokage asked.

"Probably. After all, seeing as you will be grooming him to be the Rokudaime Hokage, it would probably be best for him to gain some experience."

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know about that? The only person that I told was Shizune! Kami help you if you seduced her to get the information from her..." she threatened.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I didn't touch her, I swear. It was kinda obvious, seeing as how you love him like a son. I mean, all loving mothers want to see their child succeed."

"Is it that obvious?"

"To those who know you well. I doubt Naruto knows."

"Of course not, I haven't even started to teach him all the aspects of being a Hokage."

"I wasn't talking about that, and you know it."

Tsunade slumped down in her seat. "It's hard you know? I never had any children, and after Dan died, I never thought that I would ever have any children. And then I met Naruto and…well, he just wormed his way into my heart. The hardest part though, is that he's never called me 'Kaa-san', while I think of him as my son in all but blood."

"You've never called him son to his face," Jiraiya pointed out. "And we all know that Naruto is clueless when it comes to emotions. You'll have to spell it out for him, unless you want to wait even longer. And at our age, waiting isn't exactly a good idea."

"I guess you're right…maybe I should adopt him. Kami knows that he could use a stable family."

"I'm sure he would love that," Jiraiya agreed with all seriousness.

That being said, the two of them started to create new plans in order to deal with the threat of a Cursed Seal army.

While she worked, Tsunade started to wonder why her stomach felt like she had butterflies in it when he had raised an eyebrow at her. It certainly wasn't because she was falling for him. That would be stupid. After all, he was a pervert…but he was also kind, strong, sensitive, and one of the last people that she actually knew from her childhood. But he was a pervert! She probably drank some bad sake…

-------------------------------------

'_She…she left me…'_ Naruto thought as he finally managed to get up. He started to aimlessly walk around the training grounds.

'_Why…why did she leave me? I only did what she asked me to do…'_ pondered Naruto. Somehow, he managed to walk around for close to an hour without hitting any trees.

'_I guess she got tired of me…or maybe she found out about me being a Jinchuuriki somehow…'_ he concluded. At the end of his train of thought, he punched a tree with enough force to leave a rather deep imprint on the trunk of the tree.

'_I can't stay here…I need to get back to training. I put it off for long enough. I need to go back to the Spirit Realm.'_

Naruto gathered his thoughts and contacted Mikomi. _'Aneue, are you there?'_

It took a few seconds, but his sister replied, _**'Hai. Is something wrong?'**_

The young shinobi knew that she knew that he was trouble, but he was glad that she had enough tact not to ask him what was wrong. He really didn't feel like talking about it right now. _'No,'_ he lied. _'I just wanted to let you know that I'm coming back now to resume my training.'_

'_**Are you sure you don't want to spend a few more days in Konoha?'**_

'_I'm sure…I need to get back to training. The coming months will not be easy…'_

'_**Alright, I'll let the others know. You should let the Hokage know that you're leaving.'**_

'_Will do. See you in a bit._'

As soon as he felt their connection break, Naruto left the training grounds and headed towards the Hokage Tower. As he walked through the village, he felt all the glares and killing intent coming off from everyone who saw him. Most were villagers, but there were also a fair share of shinobi.

When Naruto was almost at the Hokage Tower, he saw Hinata walk in. He stopped dead in his tracks; it was Hinata's time for her to train with Baachan; he couldn't walk in and tell her that he was leaving, not with her in there. There was no way he would be able to maintain his composure if she was right there.

Naruto walked into one of the side alleys and ran through a few hand seals before he summoned Gamachibi. As the smoke that accompanied the arrival of a summon dispersed, the small toad yawned. "What do you want now?"

"I need you to tell the Hokage that I need to go back to train right away. After you do that, come find me in Wave Country and I'll give you your payment."

The toad nodded and started to hop towards the Hokage Tower. "See you in a bit then!"

Naruto took a deep breathe as he headed out the gates. It was a good break he decided as he left; he had come to realize what love felt like, even if it was only for a few days.

Before the gates closed, Uzumaki took one last look inside. Everywhere he looked, there were couples and happy families going about their business. Despite the fact that quite a few people gave him death glares, he thought, _'This…this is what I'm training for.'_

---------------------------------

Even after an intense training session with Tsunade-sensei and Sakura-san, Hinata found that she still had plenty of anger left which she needed to blow off before she went back to the Hyuuga manor, so she headed towards the training grounds.

It took all of her willpower not to completely assault Sakura-san during their daily sparring session. Every time she saw her, all she could see was her embracing Naruto-san like a perfect couple would. Even so, Tsunade-sensei still had to step in and stop the spar before Sakura got hospitalized.

Instead of being scolded as she thought she would be for being overly aggressive during her spar, the Godaime Hokage gave her a gentle smile and praised her for finally asserting herself. Even Sakura-san complimented her despite the fact that she could barely walk on her own.

As soon as Hinata entered the training grounds, she walked to the closest training post and started to pound away. She didn't even notice when her hands started to leave bloody imprints on the wooden post.

"Hinata-chan!"

The Hyuuga heiress turned around to face her ex-boyfriend.

"What do you want now?" she asked harshly.

"Well…," he said as he got down on one knee, "Will you marry me?"

Hinata just froze for a moment. "What? D-don't you think w-we're too young t-to be married?"

"Of course not! We've known each other since the Academy."

"T-that's true…but we're still t-too young."

"Nope. We can be engaged and get married when we both turn seventeen if you want. Besides, we are shinobi, who knows how long we can live? I know that sounds bad, but it's true! I mean, how many shinobi have died before they've gotten married?"

"That's all v-very true…but w-why do you want to marry m-me?"

"Hinata-chan, I want to marry you! I want to wake up every morning and see you! I want to have kids together and grow old together!"

Hinata stared back at him with a stony gaze. "But do you l-l-love me?"

"Of course I love you!"

"I…I have to think about t-this. M-m-marriage is a big s-s-step."

"That's fine. Take your time, I know this is a major step in our lives. Well, have a good training session and think this over, okay?" Kiba said as he leaned forward and gave Hinata a kiss on her cheek before he turned around and left the training ground.

Hinata was still stunned by her...boyfriend's (she assumed, seeing as she hadn't officially broken up with him) proposal. She couldn't even focus on the training post, so she just sat down and pondered her options.

Her first option, and the most obvious, was to say "No" to Kiba-kun. After all, even if they had known each other since the Academy and were on the same Gennin squad, they were still sixteen. Hinata had never dreamed of getting married when she was sixteen, not even when she had imagined getting married to Naruto-k…Naruto-san.

Her second option was to say "Yes". She honestly couldn't see any good coming out of getting married so early on in her life. Would things be any different if they were married? She knew that she didn't want to have kids at such a young age, so marriage wouldn't change much.

After weighing the pros and cons of both options, Hinata decided that the next time that she saw Kiba-kun she would tell him that she was not ready to take such a big step forward in their relationship, but dating would be fine for now.

With her head cleared and her temper diminished, she decided that it was time for her to head home. It had been a rather long day, and she wanted to do nothing more than eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed.

-----------------------------

Naruto fell down to the ground, completely exhausted. It had been nearly two months since he had last set foot in Konoha, and nearly every waking moment he had spent training. Enma-sama and his aneue were relentless in their lessons.

He had learned more taijutsu from the Monkey Boss than he had from the Academy, Kakashi-sensei, and Ero-Sennin combined. Well, the Academy didn't really count seeing as nobody had ever really taken the time to teach him the basics and by the time Iruka was his sensei, the Chuunin didn't realize that he didn't know the basics forms and only went over the more advanced forms. And when Naruto was first placed on Team Seven, Kakashi-sensei was only interested in training Sasuke. Ero-Sennin never taught him much taijutsu because he focused on Fuuinjutsu and Ninjutsu.

In addition to taijutsu, he also learned how to fight with staffs…or more specifically, Enma-sama when he turned into a staff. At first, Naruto didn't want to fight with staff because it wasn't cool, but when he heard that the Sandaime had used Enma-sama as a staff when he was fighting the Shodaime, Nidaime, and Orochimaru at the same time, he quickly changed his tune.

The young shinobi barely had the energy to move his head to stare at his taijutsu sensei as the Monkey Boss elegantly sat down next to him. For a moment, neither spoke, as both were simply content to catch their breaths.

"**You have come far since we started your training just a few weeks ago. I never expected you to improve so quickly. If you keep this up, then you will encounter few shinobi that can best you in taijutsu."**

Naruto was stunned; during the two months that he had spent training with Enma-sama, the Monkey Boss had never once complimented him. Naurto broke out into a smile and bowed his head in thanks; hearing his sensei praise him made him ridiculously proud.

The shinobi's smile made Enma smile himself. Despite his initial reluctance to train the boy, he was glad that he had been convinced to train him. During the two months that he had trained him, he had come to see what his previous summoner had seen in the child.

"**Indeed you have,"** Mikomi stated as she towered over both of them. **"I'm proud of you, otouto."**

"**I do have one question though,"** Enma said.

"What is it Enma-sama?" Naruto asked.

"**During your last trip to Konoha, what happened to make you push yourself so hard?" **

Naruto sighed. The last thing he wanted was for the moment to be ruined, but it was too late for the summon to take back his words. Ever since he had returned to the Spirit Realm, Naruto had thrown himself into his training, in an attempt to keep his mind so occupied that he wouldn't think of what he had lost back in Konoha.

His attempt had worked. He would spend hours in the Spirit Realm training, and when he left, he would spend another few hours conditioning his body. By the time he went to sleep, he was so exhausted that he could barely eat his dinner before struggling to get to his room. In fact, he was pretty sure that Tazuna had to carry him to his bed a few times.

"If it's all right with you Enma-sama, I'd rather not talk about it. Maybe some other time, but not now."

Enma nodded. Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, had gone through similar stages just after Orochimaru's defection. The monkey knew that bottling all of his emotions and thoughts were not healthy, but neither was forcing him to talk about his problem.

The three of them were content to just sit back and relax while they could. They all knew that due to the upcoming invasion, all of them, but most importantly Naruto, would have to train even harder than they had been. But for now, they just wanted a moment to catch their breaths.

Suddenly, Gamachibi appeared on top of Naruto's head. In response, the young shinobi just sighed.

"Why is it that the small toads always like to summon themselves on my head?"

"Because it's soft?" Gamachibi answered.

Naruto just sighed. He should have realized that Gamachibi wouldn't recognize a rhetorical question.

"Why are you here?"

"Hmm? Oh, apparently Jiraiya-sama gave a message to one of my older brothers. It seems that the Hokage isn't too happy that you haven't shown up for your check-ups."

Upon hearing the message, Mikomi turned her gaze from the small toad to her 'brother'.

"**I thought you said that you went to those check-ups,"** Mikomi stated as her eyes narrowed.

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he tried to think up of a plausible excuse.

"Ehhh…I was so tired that I didn't think I would be able to get back to Konoha?"

"**Is that a question or your reason?"**

"Eh…both?"

Mikomi just shook her head. **"You're lucky that there's nothing poisonous to your body here, otherwise you would be very sorry."**

"How do you know that there's nothing poisonous here?"

"**I don't. I do know however, that you haven't been showing any signs of being tired or sick; if anything, you're improving even faster than you did in the Real World."**

"I see…"

"Are you done? There's another part of the message that I haven't gotten to yet!" grumbled Gamachibi. He could be playing with his brothers and sisters instead of listening to them chatter about meaningless stuff (at least, meaningless to him).

"Sorry Gamachibi, what's the second part of the message?"

"The Hokage is assigning three Chuunin a mission to go scout out a base where Oto is training some Cursed Seal shinobi. She wants you to go and lead them."

"Me? But I'm not even a Chuunin!"

"Hmmm…oh, Jiraiya-sama said that you're in charge because you're really good at sneaking around and that you have the skills to become Jounin. Oh, and this mission is also doubling as a Jounin exam for those three Chuunin, so you're supposed to take notes and see who, if any, are worthy to be promoted."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's quite a lot you said there…how did you memorize it all?"

Gamachibi laughed and showed him his webbed feet. On the bottom of it, there were several notes written on it.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to remember it all, so I wrote some notes to help me remember it!"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh. The young toad reminded him so much of a younger version of himself.

"Here, have a piece of candy. That's exactly what I would have done!"

Gamachibi reached out and grabbed the piece of candy that Naruto held out for him. "Thanks a lot! I'm going to go play now! See you later!"

As the toad was leaving, Naruto stopped him. "Wait! Who are the Chuunin going? Do you know?"

"Ano…Team Eight!" the young toad yelled over his shoulder.

Naruto froze. He would be going on a mission…with Hinata…

-------------------------

_Two months ago in Konohoa_

The morning after Hinata had ended her short relationship with Naruto, a messenger arrived for her shortly after she finished her breakfast. The young Chuunin seemed to be in shock, for not only did he step foot in the acclaimed Hyuuga mansion, he also had the privileged of delivering a message to the Hyuuga Hinata, one of, if not the, hottest kunoichi in Konoha.

As soon as Hinata read the note, she nodded towards the messenger, letting him know that she understood the directions. After the Chuunin had left, Hiashi turned to face his eldest and asked if she had a mission.

Hinata shook her head. "No, the Hokage would l-like to see me as soon as p-possible though. It may have something to d-do with a m-mission."

Hiashi nodded his head. "Very well then. When you are done, come back and we will resume your training."

"Hai!" Hinata stated as she left the building.

When she entered the Hokage's office, she was surprised to see Shino-kun and Kurenai-sensei there.

"Now that Hinata is here, we may begin," the Godaime stated. "I have decided that the Chuunin members of Team Eight are ready to take the Jounin Exam."

For a moment, neither of the two Chuunin in the room spoke. Being nominated for the Jounin Exam, especially at such a young age, was an honor.

"Ano…is Kiba-kun not nominated?" Hinata asked.

The smile that had graced the Hokage's face when she told them the news with regards to the exam vanished. "That depends on the two of you. While I have the utmost confidence that the two of you are ready for the Exam, I am not so sure about your third teammate, Inuzuka Kiba."

"His combat skills may be equal to a rookie Jounin, but I am not so sure if he is mentally ready for the rank. Is he mature enough? Is he ready for the extra responsibilities that come with the rank of Jounin?"

"You are asking us? Why not ask Kurenai-sensei or Yamato-sensei? They would be better qualified to answer than us," replied Shino.

"They are, but humor me. I want to see what you two think."

Shino was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up. "I think he should take the exam. If he doesn't meet the standards of Jounin, then he can always be eligible for the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin."

"I see. And what do you think Hinata?" the Godaime asked.

"Ano…I a-agree with Shino-kun. Kiba-kun i-is skilled, but I d-don't know if he's m-m-mature enough to earn the r-rank of a f-full Jounin."

"Good, I agree with both of your assessments," the Hokage said.

Shizune knocked on the door before walking in. "Tsunade-sama, Kiba-san is here to meet with you."

"Very well, send him in."

As Kiba walked in, he stood next to Hinata. "Do we have a mission Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded her head. "Indeed you do. Furthermore, all three of you are eligible to take the Jounin Exam. Would you all like to take it?"

All three members of Team Eight nodded their heads, some with more enthusiasm than the others. Kiba was still in shock over learning the fact that he was going to be taking the Jounin Exam so soon in his career.

"This next mission I'm assigning to the three of you will be your Jounin Exam. Depending on the outcome of the mission, you may or may not be promoted. The details of your mission are in these scrolls," she stated as she handed each one of them a scroll.

"The mission you are taking is an A-ranked. After you have read your scrolls, burn them. It would not bode well if the information regarding this mission left this room. Are there any questions?"

"Oh, one last thing. You will be meeting your contact for this exam at the location designated in your scrolls. Your contact will be in charge of the mission, and I expect you three to listen to him as if he were Kurenai."

"Hokage-sama, you said we will be meeting a 'contact'. Does that mean that he isn't a Konoha shinobi?" Shino asked.

"No, he is a Konoha shinobi. In fact, he will be your 'proctor' and team leader at the same time. I merely said 'contact' because he hasn't been in Konoha for a while. He has been busy gathering information on Oto."

"Now, are there any other questions?" the Godaime asked. Seeing as no one else had any questions, she decided to dismiss them. "You are dismissed. Oh, Hinata and Shino, please stay behind for a moment. There are some…clan issues that I need to address."

The two Chuunin that had been called out waved goodbye to their friend before he left. As soon as the door was closed, Tsunade moved some scrolls on her desk to the side to uncover a seal engraved on her desk. She placed her hand over the seal and pumped some chakra into it.

"There," she said satisfied. "Now we may speak without fear of anyone eavesdropping on us. What I am about to tell the two of you is an S-class secret; I'm sure you know the punishment for breaking such a secret. Before we go on, do either of you want to leave? It's not imperative that the two of you hear it, but I think that you two are entitled to it."

"The information must be rather important if it qualifies to be given a secrecy rank of S. I, for one, would like to know what it is."

"Ano…I w-w-would also like to h-hear it Hokage-sama."

"Very well. The main reason that your team is being given this mission is because you are easily one of the best reconnaissance teams that we have, and we need to gather as much information on Oto as we can. We have received information that Konoha will be attacked in approximately five months."

The two Chuunin were so shocked that neither one of them could speak for several moments.

"Ano…how r-reliable is y-your source?"

"Very. He has never given us false information before.

"Do we know where they will attack? And is our mission to help us determine how large the attack force will be?"

"No and not really. The facility that you will be gathering information on has a number of subjects with a new and improved Cursed Seal. We need to know if it grants the users the same abilities as the older one did."

"Another thing that the two of you should know is that Oto isn't the only village attacking us. From the information that we have received, Oto, Iwa, Kumo, and Akatsuki have created a temporary alliance in order to defeat us."

"Ano…I haven't h-heard of A-akatsuki before," admitted Hinata.

Tsunade nodded her head in understanding. "Few have. It is a group composed of nine S-class nuke-nin. They are only to be engaged with very skilled shinobi and when we outnumber them."

The two Chuunin were shocked once again as they heard the information about Akatsuki. It was rare enough to even see one S-class shinobi, let alone nine of them working together.

"Ano…w-why did you t-tell us and n-not Kiba-kun?"

"Because I thought that you deserve to know this since you are undertaking this mission. And I didn't tell Kiba because I don't think he would be able to keep that information to himself. I feared that he would blurt something out, and if any of the other villages hear that we know of the invasion, it would not bode well for us."

Shino nodded his head in agreement. "That was a wise decision. I fear that he would inadvertently say something that would compromise the information."

Hinata closed her eyes for a few moments before re-opening them. "W-war…we're g-going to have a w-w-war, aren't we?"

Tsunade sighed. "Yes, it won't simply be a war between two villages, but rather four villages and a group of shinobi that are incredibly strong. I wish that there was someway that we could avoid this, but I can't think of anything that we would be able to do to prevent the war from breaking out."

"During our mission, would you like us to scout the interior of the building? It might be helpful if we launch a pre-emptive strike. Not enough to let them think that we know their plans, but enough to put a squeeze on them," asked Shino.

Tsuande smiled as she heard the Chuunin offer his suggestion. Shino had a sharp mind, a one that would help him reach the rank of Jounin.

"That's a good idea, but I don't want you guys to actually infiltrate the building. The information that you can gather using Hinata's Byakugan will give us all the information we need. Besides, infiltrating the base would be extremely dangerous considering the fact that there is an unknown number of shinobi with the Cursed Seal."

"As for your suggestion of launching pre-emptive strikes, I have already issued those, but only against Oto. If we were to raid Kumo's and Iwa's outposts, then that can be taken as a declaration of war. It's fine if we use those tactics against Oto because they declared war on us when they invaded Konoha three years ago and killed the Sandaime."

"Any more questions? No? Well then, good luck and do your best!"

--------------------------------

Naruto snorted as he waited for Team Eight to arrive. He had already scouted the perimeter around the base housing Alpha-152 and selected a suitable base-of-operations. Actually, he had made one; he found a mountain that overlooked the base, and using a Rasengan as a drill, he created a cave.

Seeing as he had nothing else to do until Team Eight arrived, he used his chakra to climb a tree which gave him a vantage point of the rendezvous point. Even though the location of the rendezvous point was known to a select few, Naruto didn't feel like waiting out in the open. Waiting in one spot was just asking for trouble; if the location was somehow compromised and he was just standing there, then there would be no doubt that he was the contact.

After a few moments, Naruto started to tap his foot, letting his impatience get the better of him. Normally, Naruto would have welcomed the chance to just sit back and relax, but the fact that he would be facing Hinata so soon just unsettled him. He had attempted to achieve better control over his emotions, but he was unable to master them. After all, it wouldn't do for him to let his emotions control him during a mission as important as this.

Naruto felt four chakra signatures, three of which were familiar, approaching at a relatively slow speed. Well, slow compared to him anyways; after his training with Ero-Sennin and Enma-sama, his speed had increased exponentially.

'_Four chakra signatures…are they being followed?'_ Naruto wondered as he drew a kunai out of his pouch, ready to spill blood if Team Eight was indeed being followed. As soon as Team Eight came into sight, Naruto sighed and put his kunai back in his pouch. He had forgotten that Akamaru had his own highly developed chakra system, which accounted for the fourth presence he felt.

As Team Eight arrived in the designated clearing, Naruto decided to stay in the tree for a few more minutes. After all, they were a few minutes early, and one lesson that he had learned from Jiraiya was that, if he was the contact, was to only show up at the agreed time. Too early meant that his position was compromised, and if he was late then it would be assumed that he was captured.

"Where's the contact?" Kiba asked.

"We traveled faster than I had anticipated," answered Shino. "It would seem that we are early. We can not expect our contact to wait for us all day. The contact will be here at the agreed time….hopefully."

"Bah! Waiting is boring…we should do some reconnaissance now, seeing as we have extra time."

"No," Shino replied firmly. "That would not be wise. What if we miss our contact because we decided to start our mission early? What if we are spotted? How would you like to report to the Hokage and tell her that we failed our mission before we even rendezvoused with our contact?"

"Who made you leader anyways? Hinata-chan, wouldn't I make a better leader?"

Seeing that the young Hyuuga was too nervous to answer the question, Shino decided to answer for her, thus saving her from entering into an awkward position.

"Kurenai-sensei has designated me as the team leader of her team in her absence. Thus, the responsibilities of leader fall to me until we meet our contact, at which time I will relinquish command of the team."

"Whatever," Kiba replied, as he sat down underneath a tree. His other two teammates soon copied him and sat down, forming a half circle. He reached out his hand and grasped Hinata's hand.

Despite the fact that Naruto knew that Hinata wasn't his girlfriend anymore, he couldn't help but get jealous when he saw Kiba holding her hand. He felt like killing the Inuzuka for even daring to touch her. Luckily though, he managed to his raging emotions under control.

A few minutes later, Naruto jumped down from his perch and put on a cloak and pulled the hood up. Before he headed downwind toward Team Eight, he put an oni mask on.

"Will the snake slither up the tree?" he asked, startling the three Chuunin.

All three Chuunin immediately jumped to their feet when they heard a voice coming from behind them.

"Who are you? Are you a crazy drunk?!" Kiba yelled.

Shino felt like slapping his head in annoyance. "Not if the tree trunk is well oiled."

Kiba turned and faced his team leader with a grin on his face. "Dude! I didn't know you drink!"

The Aburame heir sighed in annoyance. "Did you even bother to read the mission scroll?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Did you read it thoroughly?"

"I know the mission specs," countered Kiba.

Shino sighed. His male teammate wasn't doing a good job of presenting himself as Jounin material so far. Well, with any luck he would be able to demonstrate his skills during the mission.

Naruto sighed. "Those were the phrases used to let each other know that we have rendezvoused under safe conditions. Next time, read the entire mission scroll."

"Whatever. So when do we start kicking ass?" Kiba asked bluntly.

Shino had to stop himself from palming his forehead. With every passing second, Kiba was unwittingly decreasing his chances of being promoted to Jounin.

"I don't know how well you read your mission scroll, because 'kicking ass' is not part of our mission. This is a reconnaissance mission, meaning that we're supposed to gather the information we need quietly and quickly. With any luck, we won't engage any enemies."

"…So we won't get to kick ass?"

"No."

"Damn."

"Let's move out. I already established a base of operations," the Jinchuuriki stated as he started to walk towards the cave that he had made.

"A-ano…Shinobi-san?"

"Yes?" Naruto replied, without bothering to turn around and look at her.

"I d-don't think you told us y-your name," she managed to stutter out. For some reason, this mysterious Konoha shinobi made her extremely nervous.

"Introductions can wait until we get back to base. For now, stay quiet. We're in enemy territory, and it would be best to move silently and quickly, lest we be found out by enemy shinobi."

Hinata nodded in agreement. Their contact was rather wise; she hadn't even thought of the fact that they were in enemy territory. She supposed that was why she was a Chuunin and he was a…well, Tsunade-sensei had never told them what rank he was, but she assumed that he was at least a Tokubetsu Jounin. After all, it wouldn't make sense to have a Chuunin or Gennin be a proctor for a Jounin Exam.

It was about a ten minute walk to their headquarters. In all actuality, it wasn't that far, but they were taking a very slow pace to make sure that they made the least amount of noise as possible. When they arrived at their new base, their proctor ushered them in quickly. As soon all of Team Eight was inside, their contact knelt down and quickly drew and activated a seal.

Shino raised an eyebrow. It would seem as though their contact was rather skilled in the art of Fuiinjutsu. By that one simple display, he proved that he was no mere Tokubetsu Jounin or even a Jounin for that matter. Fuuinjutsu was such an abstract subject that few bothered to study it, and those that did took their time when they were drawing seals, for even making a small mistake could prove to be disastrous.

Thus, when this mysterious shinobi quickly drew the seal and activated it without even looking at his work, he proved that he was either suicidal or extremely skilled. And seeing as how the seal didn't explode, Shino decided that their contact was the latter.

"Very, well, now that no noise we make inside here will leave this cave. Now would be the ideal time for introductions. Would you like to start?"

"No way, you start first! We still don't know a thing about you!" Kiba blatantly yelled out.

Naruto just tilted his head. Kiba was rather…energetic. But then again, he supposed he had been just like him before Ero-sennin had managed to pound some manners into him. If anything, he would prove some comic relief during the mission….however, for this particular mission, being loud and obnoxious was not a good thing.

"Very well. You may call me 'Sempai'. My real name is irrelevant to the success of the mission. I specialize in ninjutsu and fuuinjutsu. My likes…are training. My dislikes are any enemies of Konoha, whether they are foreign or domestic."

Seeing that they weren't about to get anything else out of their contact, Shino spoke up next. "My name is Aburame Shino. I specialize in my clan's jutsus. I like my bugs, bugs in general, and my friends. I dislike those who would harm what I like."

"Ano…my n-name is Hyuuga Hinata. I specialize in m-my clan's style of t-taijutsu, Jyuuken. I like…Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Kurenai-sensei, a-and my other friends. I dislike…mean people a-and…b-betrayers."

Naruto merely blinked behind his mask. He had already known Hinata's likes and dislikes, but she had never said anything about having a great dislike of betrayers.

"The name's Inuzuka Kiba, and you better remember it because I'll be the best clan head that the Inuzuka clan ever had! I specialize in taijutsu, and I use my clan's ninjutsu to supplement my taijutsu style. I like Hinata-chan, Akamaru, and food! What I dislike…well, I don't really dislike anything, seeing as I have everything that I want!"

"Very well, know that introductions are done, we should…"

"Wait, I got one more thing to say!" interrupted Kiba. "Hinata-chan and I are getting married!"

Upon hearing the Inuzuka's exclamation, the Hyuuga heiress turned bright red, while both Shino and Naruto stared at Kiba.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked.

"I agree with Sempai. When did this happen?" questioned Shino.

"Hmmm…a few days ago. I think."

_**Flashback (start)**_

Hinata had just parted ways with Shino after the Hokage had told them of the upcoming invasion. She was still stunned by the revelation; the invasion meant that many would die in the coming months. If they were lucky, Konoha would be able to cripple the attacking forces due to having preparation time and advanced knowledge of the attack and end the war quickly. If not…well, then the Shinobi world would be in for another Great War.

The prospect of war itself didn't scare her too badly; rather, it was what always accompanied war that scared her – death. She didn't want any of her friends or family to die, but it would be inevitable during the invasion. In addition, she didn't want to die either; in fact, she wasn't even twenty. There were also tons of things that she hadn't accomplished in life yet, such as getting married and raising a family.

"Hey Hinata-chan! Over here!"

Hinata turned around to see who was calling to her. She forced a smile to grace her face when she saw that it was Kiba-kun.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering…have you thought about what I asked you last time? You know, marrying me?"

She was about to tell him that she wasn't ready to make such a big step in her life yet, but then she remembered what she had just learned.

War…they were going to war, and it would be inevitable that countless number of shinobi would die. Back in the Academy, she had learned that the first casualties were always the inexperienced shinobi, whether they be Gennin or Jounin. There was no doubt in her mind that the other shinobi in her generation would be among the first casualties.

Ever since she was young, she had always wanted to get married and have children. However, she had never thought that her chance would be so early in her life. And of course, her ideal husband had been Naruto. But now, he was no longer the man of her dreams.

She could die…she could die in the coming months without ever knowing what it was like to be married. It was too late for her to know what it would be like to have a child before the war started, but it wasn't too late for her to know what it would be like to be married during peaceful times.

"Kiba-kun…I…I will m-marry you," she answered.

A smile so large that it seemed that it would stretch off his face lit up his face. "Haha, this is great! Oh man, we gotta tell everyone!"

"W-wait! L-let's keep this b-between us for now," pleaded Hinata.

"Huh? Why? Are you still shy about it? I mean, there's nothing to be ashamed of, is there?"

"It's just that…well…m-my Otousan still h-has to a-adminster the Trials."

"Trials? What Trials?"

"Ano…every time s-someone from outside of the c-clan wants to m-marry into the clan, the suitor has to p-pass a series of t-test administered by the current clan head."

"Oh…that's what your Otousan meant when I asked him if I could marry you."

"Ano…I t-think that we should go see him now," Hinata stated.

"All right," Kiba agreed as he grabbed her hand and the two walked hand-in-hand to the Hyuuga manor.

--------------------------------------------

"Come in," Hyuuga Hiashi replied as he heard a knock on the door to his office.

"Are congratulations in order?" he asked when he saw his eldest daughter walk in with her hand being held by the Inuzuka heir.

"H-hai, Otousama," she answered nervously.

A small smile graced his face when he heard her answer.

"A marriage between the Inuzuka and Hyuuga clan will do both of us much good," he replied. "I take it that Hinata has told you of the Trials?"

"Hai," he replied. "I'm ready to take part in your Trials, no matter what they are!"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You seem to be rather confident of yourself, considering that you don't even know what it is that you're going to be doing."

"I'll take anything you throw at me and still pass it because I know that I'll do anything to be together with Hinata-chan. Even if you need me to fight the entire Hyuuga clan, I'll do it!"

Hiashi nodded in acceptance. "I like your enthusiasm; just be careful you don't get yourself in over your head."

"Ano…Otousama, if y-you don't mind, could you t-tell us what the Trial will c-consist of?"

Hiashi nodded. "Of course, I suppose I was rambling, wasn't I? Very well, your Trial will be to learn the customs of our Clan and what being married to the Head of the Clan will consist of."

Hinata and Kiba both looked at one another with surprise.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but isn't that a bit…simple?"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "It would seem so wouldn't it? However, it is not nearly as simple as you would expect it to be. Hinata has been learning ever since she was five, and she has yet to learn all of our customs yet. Your Trial isn't one of physical strength, but of mental strength. Knowing this, do you still want to marry my daughter?"

"Of course," Kiba quickly replied. "I said that I would do anything to marry Hinata-chan, didn't I?"

Hiashi nodded his head in approval. "You seem to be a man of your word then; I like that in a person. Oh, and one more thing: I would suggest that the two of you limit who you tell of your engagement. It would not do for enemies of the village to hear that the Inuzuka and Hyuuga clan will be united through marriage."

Upon hearing her father's words, Hinata suddenly donned a worried look on her face. "T-then is it s-safe to tell our f-friends?"

Hiashi closed his eyes as he pondered his eldest daughter's question. "I would suggest not telling them unless they figure it out somehow."

"Why not?" Kiba asked. "Aren't marriages supposed to be celebrated?"

"They are, but it would not be wise to publicly announce the union of our two clans until much later. I am sure that there are spies in our village, and they would no doubt report the marriage to their home village. In order to keep your marriage from being sabotaged, I would suggest that the two of you tell no one until you send out your wedding invitations."

The couple looked at one another before nodding in agreement.

"Now, if that is all, I have some clan business that I have to take care of."

As the two members of Team Eight walked out of Hiashi's office, Kiba grabbed Hinata's hand and started to lead her to the Inuzuka compound.

"Come on Hinata, we should go visit my clan. We need to get you familiar with the area because you'll be living there soon!"

Hinata gave small smile while she let herself be dragged to Kiba's compound.

_**Flasback (end)**_

"Shino-kun, p-please forgive us f-for not telling you of our u-upcoming w-wedding," Hinata pleaded.

Shino nodded his head after he heard the story. "I believe that Hiashi-sama was correct in his belief. It was wise of him to give you that advice. If I were you, I would continue to follow advice."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as his mind processed what he had just heard. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Was the time that he spent with Hinata-chan for nothing? Why would she agree to marry Kiba just after she broke up with him? The only reason that he could come up with was that she was in love with Kiba. It would seem as though he had lost his chance.

During his time in the Academy, he had often heard Sasuke's fangirls admit that if they didn't get to date Sasuke that they would die from heartbreak. Naruto had always thought that they were just exaggerating, but right now he felt like his heart was breaking.

"Sempai? W-we will still continue the mission, r-right?" Hinata asked. Seeing that their team leader had gone silent after hearing their confession worried her.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. He took several deep breathes in order to get control over his emotions. It wouldn't do if his voice was so thick with emotion that Team Eight would be able to figure out who he was.

"It shouldn't," he admitted. "However, I expect the two of you to…keep your relationship chaste until the mission is over. What you do in your free time is none of my business and out of my jurisdiction. But when we are on this mission, I am in control."

Hinata turned a deep red before she managed to mumble something that Naruto couldn't pick up.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to speak up," he stated.

"I s-said that we h-haven't had s-sex yet, and we w-won't until after we are m-married."

Naruto nodded his head. "Very well. Now that the introductions are over, I will go over our plan."

"Shino-san, when was the last time you went to a bar?"

"Never," the Aburame firmly replied.

"I figured as much. You're job for tonight Shino-san, is to accompany Hinata-san and scout out as much of the base as you can. Make sure you note the surrounding environment as well; we'll need to know everything that we can about it."

"And what am I going to do?"

"You Kiba-san, will be accompanying me to the local village."

"What's in the village? I thought we were scouting an enemy base?"

"Bars are always full of information. Plus, I am willing to bet that there will be some enemy shinobi there in the bar. Tongues always get loose after drinking alcohol. You have been to a bar, correct?"

"Of course!"

"Then you should be able to hold your liquor. Now, if there are no questions, we should go get some rest before we start the mission."

------------------------------------

A few hours later, Naruto woke up from his nap. Judging from the height of the moon, he figured that it was around ten pm. He got up and walked around their temporary base and woke up his team members.

"It's time for us to start our mission. Do any of you have any questions about your roles? Oh, and I have a few more instructions before we start. First, Kiba you will have to leave your hitai-itete here, along with Akamaru."

"What?!" Kiba screamed indignantly. I'm not leaving Akamaru behind!"

"We can't walk into a bar with a ninken with us; it would let everyone there know that we're from Konoha. Same goes for our hitai-itete."

Kiba looked like he was about to disagree with him, but then decided against it. "I…I guess you're right. Well, Akamaru can go with Hinata-chan and Shino, right?"

Naruto thought it over for a second before he nodded his head in agreement.

"Ano…s-sempai, are you g-going to the b-bar with y-your mask on?" Hinata asked.

Naruto reached up and took off his mask. "Of course not, I wouldn't be able to drink my sake if I wore my mask, would I?"

The members of Team Eight stared intently at their leader's face. His face didn't have the slightly rugged look that most shinobi ranked Chuunin and above always held. It seemed too…civilian-ish.

Naruto seemed to sense their questions and stated, "This isn't my real face, I'm simply disguising it with make-up."

"Make-up? Why don't you just use a Henge?" Kiba asked.

"I don't want to take the chance that anyone in the bar will be able to tell that I'm using a Henge," he answered.

"You all remember your orders, correct?" Seeing as his subordinates nodded their heads, he gave the order to move out. "Remember to meet back here in four hours. Should anything go wrong, I'll give the standard retreat signal and we'll meet up here before we retreat. Now go!"

----------------------

"I don't think I need to tell you this, but while we are drinking, you must not get drunk!"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Duh. I'm not stupid, I know my limit."

"I'm just telling you, that I highly doubt the drinks here are the same as those back in Konoha. If anything, these drinks will be much stronger."

An excited gleam lit up in Kiba's eyes. "Excellent, I can't wait to try out new drinks!"

Naruto grabbed Kiba's arm and turned him around so he was facing him. "This is exactly why I told you to stay sober! Yes, it's exciting to try new drinks, but you must not get drunk!"

"I know! I'm not going to screw up on a mission as simple as this. After all, I'm going to be the head of the Inuzuka clan soon!"

Naruto resisted the urge to groan. "Just don't get too drunk and let anything slip. We're supposed to be gathering information, not giving information."

The two continued to walk in silence for several minutes until the town came into sight. It wasn't much of a village; there were only a few buildings which looked like they were constructed on short notice.

It was rather easy for the two shinobi to find the bar; it was the one building that had people constantly entering it.

Naruto sped up so he would be able to enter the bar before Kiba, which would give other patrons the impression that they didn't know one another.

The bar didn't look like much from the outside, and it looked even less impressive inside. Despite its poor interior design, it was well stocked with alcohol, which was the only thing that really mattered to its patrons.

Kiba's eyes widened when he saw the variety of alcoholic beverages that the bar had. He immediately went straight up to the counter and ordered some sake for himself and the patron to his right. The best way to get information in a bar was to befriend someone, and buying someone a drink would make that person your best friend…at least, for the night.

While Kiba was testing the quality of the bar's sake, Naruto saw a table in the corner of the bar where the occupants were playing a game of poker. Naruto bought a bottle of sake from the bartender and took a few sips before he started to walk towards the card-players. He made sure to add a little stumble to his movements in an attempt to trick the players into thinking that he was already buzzed.

"You got room for one more?" he asked when he managed to make his way over to them.

When the patrons looked up at him, he noticed that all four of them were shinobi. They wore their hitai-itetes proudly upon their heads, showing that Oto shinobi were welcomed in this town, if not in control of it.

"You got money?" one asked.

"Yup! Just finished my cargo run, and got plenty of money and no family that I need to spend on it," he replied getting a bit depressed at the end. "Oh, and I got some sake!" he proclaimed proudly, lifting up his bottle.

"As long as you have money and don't cheat, we have no problem with you. Pull up a chair; the game is five-card poker."

Naruto pulled up a chair from the table next to them and sat down. He took a sip of sake before he handed the bottle to the next person. Before all the cards were dealt out, the bottle of sake had made its way around the table and was empty by the time it got back to Naruto. The disguised Genin flagged down a waitress and ordered another bottle of sake.

Normally, Naruto would have been winning a majority of the games due to his unnatural luck when it came to gambling. However, it wouldn't do for him to make the other shinobi at the table suspicious of him and leave, so he purposely folded when he could have won. He also pretended to get even more drunk with each swig that he took from his bottle.

After ten games, Naruto finally felt comfortable enough to start asking some questions. Not only had he lost a decent amount of money to the Oto shinobi at the table, but they had also consumed about five bottles of sake.

Naruto blearily peered at the other card players at the table. "You guys…you guys are good. And, you have a lot of money. How did you get so much?"

The leader of the group let out a short chuckle. "We're shinobi, not merchants. We make more money in one day than you can make in an entire caravan run."

"So what, you save a princess from a dragon or kill some rich guy and take his money?"

All of the Oto shinobi started to laugh as they heard the ridiculous comment that Naruto made.

"No, nothing like that. We're just on defense duty," one of the other shinobi commented.

After his subordinate stated that, the leader immediately sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. Naruto noticed this, and realized that he was treading on dangerous ground, and decided to take a short break in his questioning.

"…You're killing the image I have of shinobi. I thought that shinobi were supposed to do all the glorious missions and get famous. But now I hear that you're just defending some town…boring! Let's get back to the game."

The leader relaxed his posture after he heard the merchant's statement. "You heard the man, deal the cards!"

-----------------

While Naruto was in the corner of the bar playing poker, Kiba was sitting at the counter, trying out the different types of drinks that they had. He was currently surrounded by numerous glasses, and right now, the mission was the third thing on his mind.

The first was how Sempai was right, and the drinks were much stronger than what he was used to getting in Konoha, yet it still tasted amazing. Second was Hinata-chan; if there was any extra time after the mission was finished, he vowed to get her to visit this bar with him. Besides showing her the wonders of sake, he might also be able to get something more than kisses out of her; sake can do amazing things to one's inhibitions.

"Enjoying the drinks?"

Kiba turned around on his bar stool and came face to face with a man his age.

"Yup! They're better than what I can get back home! Stupid weak drinks back home…"

The young man laughed. "I know what you mean. The first time I came here, I spent hours at the bar just trying out the different types of drinks they have here. By the way, my name's Gin!"

Kiba smiled. It seemed as though he had found a fellow sake lover. Plus, he looked like he wasn't an uptight shinobi, let alone a shinobi. Kiba couldn't feel even the tiniest bit of chakra leaking out of him, which probably meant he was a civilian.

"My names Kiba! Come on, I'll buy you a drink!"

For a while, the two just sat at the bar tasting the sake and commenting on which they liked better.

Kiba had never really socialized with civilians back home. He had always been busy with training, missions, and clan business. When he did have free time, he usually went to the shinobi-only bars instead of the open bars. He never really felt the urge to socialize with civilians, because he had always thought of them as being weak and worthless.

After hanging out with Gin for only a few hours though, he was starting to re-evaluate his opinion of civilians. None of his friends loved sake as much as he did; in fact, the only hobby that he had in common with his shinobi friends was training. Maybe he had been missing out all these years; all those nights when he had been bored out of his mind and none of his friends had wanted to go to the bar with him, could have been replaced with wild parties if only he had befriended some civilians.

In addition to sharing a mutual love of sake, Gin also shared Kiba's belief on the women's role. Apparently, it was a common belief held among the civilians that the woman was supposed to stay at home cleaning house, cooking, and taking care of the children while the man went to work. That belief appealed to Kiba; not only because he thought it was right, but because it would also cement his position as the alpha male in the relationship.

"So Kiba, do you have a girlfriend?" Gin asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

"Huh? No, not really."

"No girlfriend? That's tough. I got one, and I love having her around. Not only is the sex great, but she already cooks for me and cleans my apartment. Hey, if you want, she has some friends that are still single, and I could hook you up."

"I don't have a girlfriend, but I have a fiancé," Kiba stated as a smirk crawled across his face.

Gin's eyes widened in surprise. "A fiancé? Aren't you kinda young to be getting married?"

"Nah, where I'm from, it's common."

"Well, is she rich? Can she cook well?"

"Her clan is rich, and yeah, she can cook really well."

"How about her personality? Has she gotten that stupid idea that women are equal to men and have to be treated as such?"

Kiba frowned. "Hmmm…well, she is timid by nature, so it shouldn't be too hard to get her to follow me, but she has been getting a bit free-spirited."

"Well, in that case, you just gotta have one rough night with her. Give her one rough night and show her who's in charge, and I guarantee that she'll never argue with you again."

Kiba grinned. "Then I guess doggy-style would be best; not only am I in control, but I get a fine view of her ass."

Gin laughed. "You're completely right Kiba! So, is she going to keep her last name or take yours? I heard that some women are starting to keep their last name instead of taking their husband's name now."

Kiba frowned in thought. "Not sure about that. We haven't really talked about it. I'm going to try and make her take my name, but the Hyuuga elders can be strict about marrying into the clan…"

The Inuzuka heir's eyes widened as he realized that he had just slipped that he was marrying from Konoha. He was immediately on alert, aware that he might have to kill Gin before he could share the information and run out of the bar.

Gin just nodded his head in agreement. "Yup, elders really can be bastards, can't they?"

"Tell me about it! I have to go and learn all about their clan, and their traditions and all this other bullshit. I mean, I'm going to be in charge of my own clan one day, so why do I have to learn more stuff about another clan?"

Kiba's drinking partner started to look a bit more interested at hearing that fact, something that Kiba noticed. "So you're going to be in charge of the family business one day?"

Kiba nodded slightly; all the muscles in his body were once again tense and he was ready to slash Gin's throat and run out of the bar at a moment's notice.

A wide smile spread across Gin's face. "Excellent! Since that means that you're going to be rich, the next round is on you!"

Kiba relaxed once again and ordered yet another drink for the two of them. "Yeah, I guess that does mean that I'll be rich, huh? Only thing is, I'm gone most of the time, business trips and what not, so I don't really have much time to enjoy being rich."

"Yeah, well when you do have time to party, then you can party in style! Work hard, party harder, that's my motto!"

"Well, since I'm not working right now, let's keep the drinks flowing!"

After a short while, Kiba's wallet had gotten considerably lighter since he entered the bar. By then, he was rather drunk; not enough that he would spill the beans about their mission or anything, but drunk enough to know that he would regret it in the morning. He looked up at the clock mounted above the bar and noticed that it was almost time for him to meet up with the rest of his team.

"Gin, it's been fun, but I need to leave. I have to leave early in the morning to get back to my village. If I could, I would have stayed here until we both passed out," Kiba sincerely apologized.

Gin nodded his head in understanding. "Don't worry, I understand. Your fiancé is probably worrying all about you, huh?"

"Yeah, she always worries that I'll get hurt or killed, even when I don't even leave the country."

"The life of a merchant is a dangerous one, isn't it? Well, enough talking, let's have one last drink before we part, shall we?" Gin asked in a jokingly formal tone.

"Yes, let us two gentlemen share a last saucer before our ways part," he replied in kind.

The two sake-buddies shared one last drink before Kiba put his hand on Gin's shoulder and walked out of the bar. Gin grabbed the bottle that was in front of him and shook it. There was enough left in it for another saucer or two; he decided that it wouldn't harm to finish off the bottle before he went back and reported the situation to his bosses.

Gin sighed in content as he took a sip from his saucer. Kiba had bought some of the finest sake that the bar had to offer; his 'merchant' clan must have been rather rich if he could afford buying so many bottles of high-class alcohol.

Suddenly, he felt someone else bump into him as he was about to take another sip. He turned to his left to see who had bumped into him, and saw one of the poker players next to him.

"Sorry," the poker player said. "Musta tripped or somethin'. Y'okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Here," he said, handing the man several bills. "Buy some sake, for yo'self, yes?"

Gin just nodded his head and graciously took the offered bills. It wasn't uncommon that patrons would offer a drink to someone else in an attempt to avoid conflict.

A few minutes later, Gin had finished the bottle that he and Kiba had been working on and a beer that he had used the man's bills to get. With a sigh, he got up and left the bar, heading to tell his superiors of the situation.

-----------------------------------

When Kiba landed at their headquarters, he saw Shino and Hinata standing there, waiting for them.

"Hey guys, how did the scouting go?" he asked.

"It was rather fruitful," Shino answered. "Is that…sake? Are you drunk?"

"No, I'm not drunk. Just a bit…tipsy," he answered. He saw Hinata giving him a small frown. "Don't look at me like that Hinata-chan; I was digging for information in a bar, everybody would think I was a spy if I wasn't drinking in there!"

"I s-suppose y-you are r-right," she replied. "W-where is s-sempai?"

"Dunno. He should be here soon, I mean he is the leader right?"

"That is a valid point. It should not be long until he arrives. If he is in trouble, he will undoubtedly give the retreat signal."

The three shinobi waited for about five minutes until they saw their team leader walk into the clearing, with his oni mask back in place.

"Where were you?" Kiba asked.

"I was setting up the security seals; in case, anyone tries to attack us or spy on us, I will know."

Shino frowned in confusion. "Seals of that caliber usually take an hour to complete."

Naruto shrugged. "I have a lot of practice with Fuuinjutsu. Now, Shino, what did you and Hinata find?"

"It was impossible for me to get any of my Kikai into the actual base, but I have planted some nearby. They will stay there and observe the base for another day or two before they return to me. We have created a map of the area, and noted any routes that we thought would be viable to use if we need to attack the base."

"It w-was strange, b-but my Byakugan w-was unable to p-penetrate the w-walls," she answered.

Naruto frowned. "That means that they had seals on the wall…who knows what else they have in there. This complicates things; I may have to infiltrate the base in order to find out more information."

He shook his head. "We'll deal with that tomorrow. What did you find out from the guy at the bar Kiba?"

"Not much. Apparently he runs supplies to the town. Other than that, he has great taste in sake."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, even though none of his classmates could see it. "Gin is in charge of the supplies?"

"Yeah…how do you know his name?"

"But why would they put a Jounin in charge of carting supplies back and forth? Even if he is being blacklisted, he wouldn't be put in charge of supplies, that would be a waste…"

"Shinobi? He's a merchant!"

Naruto stared at Kiba, which started to scare Kiba. That oni mask was extremely realistic.

"You didn't realize that he was a shinobi?" Naruto slowly asked Kiba.

"No…"

"Kuso…he's a Jounin of Otogakure," Naruto replied.

"How do you know that?"

"Because the Oto shinobi that I was playing poker with called him 'boss', and let it slip that one of their highest ranking Jounin here was sitting at the bar drinking sake instead of playing poker because he always loses at poker."

"He…he lied? No one can lie that well…"

"Spies can…which means that he was a plant, waiting to see if anyone was coming here to spy on them. Please tell me that you didn't spill anything," Naruto stated in a harsh tone.

"Of course not!"

"What did you tell him then? The two of you were drinking together for four hours, and seeing as how you didn't know that he was a Jounin, then you must have done most of the talking!" Naruto yelled.

"Nothing of importance! We talked about sake mainly, and I told him that I was a merchant and that I'm engaged. I was trying to figure out where he got the supplies from, but it was harder than you think! "

Shino shook his head in disapproval. "You refrained from telling your teammate of three years of your engagement yet you tell a total stranger after drinking together?"

"I didn't say Hyuuga Hinata, I just said that I was marrying into another clan!"

"And did you tell him that you were the heir of your own clan?" Shino sarcastically asked.

"Well…yeah, I did. That was the only way to explain why I had so much money to buy drinks!"

"Are you sure you didn't let anything slip? Absolutely sure? Are you sure enough to bet the lives of everyone here that you didn't let anything slip?" Naruto questioned.

Kiba started to look a bit uncomfortable. "I may have mentioned something about having to please the elders before we could get married…"

"Please tell me that you weren't drunk enough that you said Hyuuga elders…"

"No! I didn't say Hyuuga or anything related to Konoha during the entire night except that the drinks back home are a lot weaker than the ones here!"

Hinata had noticed that their proctor had suddenly become rather stiff and silent instead of leading the argument.

"Ano…s-sempai, is s-something wrong?"

Her question seemed to bring him out of his stupor, and he nodded his head. "It seems that we were followed," he answered.

"What? Who?" Kiba asked.

"That I don't know…what I do know though, is that there are at least twenty chakra signatures, and several of those are high enough that they could be Jounin."

"How do you know that?" Shino asked.

"The seals that I placed around our headquarters. Some of them count the number of chakra signatures within a certain radius and others measure the level of chakra of those in a certain radius."

"What w-would h-happen if someone w-was masking their c-chakra signature when they w-walked over it?"

"Masking your signature won't work. Nothing can hide from seals," he answered. "Enough talking; gather your gear and prepare to leave. We have been compromised, and must leave as soon as possible."

The members of Team Eight nodded and headed into the cave and gathered their packs. When they came out, they noticed that Sempai was sketching a seal onto the ground in front of the cave entrance.

"This is basically the same seal that is on an exploding tag, but much stronger," he said, answering their unvoiced question. "Ready? Then we should le….duck!"

Everyone dropped to the ground just as several kunai and shuriken flew over their heads. In response, Naruto formed a handseal and several explosions went off in the forest. Immediately after the explosions went off, several screams were heard.

"Run! We must get the information back to Konoha!" Naruto ordered.

Naruto took the rear while Shino took the front and started to jump from tree branch to tree branch.

"Why are we running?" Kiba asked. "We could take them!"

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, the information is much more important than taking out a few enemy shinobi. Besides, there won't be any political fallout because no one knows that we're from Konoha."

Every so often, a few kunai would be thrown at the group. Whenever that happened, Naruto would just turn around and throw a few kunai with exploding tags attached to them back towards their pursuers.

The group suddenly heard a loud roaring sound behind them. "Get to the sides!" he ordered.

Kiba and Shino veered to their left, while Hinata and Naruto went to the right. Naruto turned around and saw a massive sound wave tearing up the ground while it was heading towards him and Hinata.

"Kuso..." he mumbled. The wave was about a yard away from them; he knew that he would be able to dodge it, but Hinata wasn't fast enough to dodge it. Without a second thought, he grabbed Hinata and dove as far as he could to his left.

Hinata shut her eyes tightly when she saw the sound wave making its way towards her. She knew that she wasn't fast enough to avoid the attack; it was coming far too fast and too close for her to be able to dodge it.

Suddenly, she felt someone roughly grab her by the shoulders and push her out of the way. She opened her eyes to come face to face with Sempai's oni mask. The first thing that she noticed was that his mask didn't seem to be nearly as scary as it used to be; instead, the eyes seemed to be filled with kindness as he stared at her.

"Are…are you okay?" he asked, taking deep breaths.

"I…I'm fine. Arigato…I w-wouldn't have b-been able to d-dodge that."

"It was nothing. You should go meet up with the rest of your team."

Hinata nodded and jumped up to the tree. To her surprise, Sempai didn't jump up to the branch. She looked down to where she had left him and saw that he was still on the ground. Suddenly, the words that he had just spoken reverberated in her head. Concerned, she jumped back down to the ground.

"You j-just said that o-only I should find my t-team…what about y-you?"

Naruto chuckled. "I'm not going to be going anywhere with this leg," he said as he pointed to his right leg.

Hinata had to stifle a gasp as she looked at his leg. It must have been hit by the attack that he had saved her from, because it looked like it had been shredded. The damage was so bad that she could see his bone and muscles, not to mention the fact that his blood was quickly making a dark stain on the forest floor.

"H-how…how d-did a sound ninjutsu d-do this much d-damage? I've seen the effects of their n-ninjutsu, a-and it d-doesn't do this…" Hinata wondered outloud.

"It must have been a hybrid ninjutsu, combining wind and sound. It felt like my leg was being shaved by wind razors," Naruto answered.

"L-let me h-heal your leg before we go. I l-learned f-from Tsunade-sama, a-and I am s-sure that I can heal it," she said before green chakra covered her hands and moved them towards his mangled leg.

Naruto grabbed her hands and shook his head. "Don't bother. The extent of my injuries would take up most of your chakra, leaving you with nothing left to use to get back to Konoha. And I wouldn't be able to make the return trip on newly repaired muscle."

"Then w-what do we do?" Hinata frantically asked.

Naruto balefully let go of her hands; he had forgotten how soft her skin had been. "Run. Meet up with your team, and get the information back to Konoha," he said as he handed her a scroll from his side pouch.

"No! K-konoha shinobi don't leave each other behind!" she yelled.

"You have to! The mission comes first!"

"M-my friends' sensei h-has a s-saying that Kurenai-sensei t-taught us. It is, 'T-those who f-fail their mission are trash, b-but those who a-abandon their t-teammates are w-worse than trash.' I h-have taken that saying to heart, and I w-won't start now," Hinata replied firmly.

"Not in this case. The information that is in that scroll has vital information that the Hokage must get. With this information, she can save hundreds, if not thousands of lives, both civilian and shinobi!"

Hinata froze. Sempai did make a valid point, but just thinking of leaving him behind left a sour taste in her mouth. Even though they hadn't spent much time together, she still felt strangely attached to him.

Suddenly, the two shinobi felt several chakra signatures rushing towards them. Hinata recognized three of them, but she was unfamiliar with the others, meaning that they were about to be intercepted by Oto shinobi.

"Go," Naruto urged. "Find your teammates and leave now!"

"N-no!"

"No what Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked as he entered the clearing closely followed by Shino and Akamaru.

"S-sempai is badly injured. H-he won't be able to walk."

"Can you heal him?" Shino asked.

"I c-can, b-but then I'll be out of chakra and S-sempai won't b-be able to run on it."

Shino dropped his head as he realized the full extent of the situation that they were in. Kiba absent-mindedly scratched the top of Akamaru's head as he tried to figure out what they should do next.

Naruto had picked up on Shino's body language and realized that he could be persuaded to do what had to be done.

"Go," Naruto pleaded again. "For the greater good, you must leave me!"

Kiba's lips curled back as he snarled. "No! We don't leave allies behind!"

"Forget that pack mentality of yours for just a minute, and listen. The Hokage must get the information in this scroll! And don't even suggest having Hinata-san healing me and then you and Shino will carry the two of us; by the time that I am stable enough for transport, we will be surrounded."

While Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru still looked mutinous and ready to argue again, Shino grimly nodded his head.

"Sempai is correct…can't you fell it? There are at least twelve large chakra signatures coming near us…we have to leave now."

"Are you suggesting that we leave a fellow Konoha shinobi behind?" Kiba asked.

"No, he is following my _orders_ for all of you to leave now!" Naruto yelled. "Besides," he continued, his voice softening, "you two are going to be married. You can't die yet."

"Y-you're…right…I guess. C'mon, Hinata-chan, we need to go."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise; she knew that they had to leave, but she still didn't want to leave him behind. She reached into her medical pouch and pulled out a small jar and handed it to Naruto.

"Ano…h-here, t-take these pain pills."

Naruto twisted open the bottle and swallowed all the pills inside. "Arigato," he said.

"Ano…you s-should have only taken t-two…"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I figure it would be best to make my death as painless as possible."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. "D-d-death!?"

"Of course. You didn't think they would just let me leave with a slap on the wrist, did you?"

"I t-thought they would take y-you as a prisoner! We c-can't leave you now!"

"Maybe, but I'd rather die now than die a week later after being tortured."

Hinata's eyes widened as she heard Sempai talk so blatantly about his possible death and torture. She would have left a few seconds ago when she thought that Sempai would only be imprisoned. Now that she knew that he would be killed or tortured first, there was no way that she would leave her temporary sensei behind.

"Hurry," Naruto urged. "They're getting closer, and if they see that I'm not by myself, then they'll send search parties after you!"

Shino turned his back to his teammates before he spoke up.

"He's right…I can hear them coming. We need to leave now."

Naruto could tell that while Shino would be willing to leave him behind and complete the mission, Hinata would never abandon him because it would go against her moral. Kiba, would just go along with whatever Hinata wanted in order to stay on her good side, not to mention his pack mentality kicking in.

Since he couldn't see any other way, he quickly formed several hand seals. A gust of wind appeared out of no where and blew the members of Team Eight towards Konoha. It didn't push them very far, only about a hundred yards or so, but it was enough. As far as they were out of sight of the Oto shinobi, it was far enough.

A small grin spread across his face; even if he was in danger, he had managed to get his friends out of danger. The grin faded when he saw multiple shinobi jump down into the clearing in front of him.

"What are you doing here Konoha scum?"

"Definitely not admiring the view."

"Why did you come here?"

"Well," Naruto started to answer, "I lost my kunai."

"Lost a kunai?" one of the Oto shinobi in the back asked.

"Yup. Oh look, there it is!" Naruto replied, pointing towards the shinobi who had just spoken up.

"What….bastard!" the leader spoke up before he punched Naruto in the stomach, after he saw that a kunai had buried itself in his teammate's eye socket.

Naruto just laughed and quickly formed several hand seals, whispered, "Katon: Karyuu Endan," and took a deep breath before he exhaled. Out of his mouth came a roaring fire dragon that headed for the shinobi that had just punched him, and burned him to a crisp.

The rest of the Oto shinobi jumped back, now aware that the crippled Konoha shinobi was far from being harmless. Naruto reached into his pouch and threw several kunai towards the tree branches that the shinobi had retreated back to.

Suddenly, a swarm of kunai headed straight for him. He reached into his pouch and pulled out his last kunai and used it to deflect as many kunai as he could. Unfortunately, he was unable to block all of them. A few managed to hit his bad leg while some hit his right arm.

'_Good thing I took all those pain killers, or I would probably be feeling these,'_ Naruto thought to himself.

Seeing as no more kunai were heading for him, he jammed his kunai into the ground and started to form hand seals. Before he could finish the seals though, he saw an Oto shinobi in the corner of his eye.

Before he could do anything about the new threat, the shinobi grasped his battle ax from his back and swung down. Naruto just blinked in surprise as he saw the stump of hands.

'_Well…this isn't good…Hmmm…those are some great pain pills, I don't even feel an ounce of pain.'_

Instead of just taking the loss of his hands as a sign of defeat, Naruto lashed out with his legs, managing to knock down the shinobi who had taken his hands.

"Take my hands, and I'll take your life," Naruto calmly stated before he raised his leg up and swung it down, enforcing his kick with chakra. His kick landed on the shinobi's throat and effectively crushed his windpipe.

The remaining Oto shinobi came out of the trees and slowly gathered around the crippled Konoha shinobi. After losing several of their teammates, they knew better than to underestimate him.

"My, my, my, you are a beast, aren't you Naruto-kun? After all, everyone knows that a wounded beast fights it's hardest when it's trapped."

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard that comment. "I know that voice. Come on out…Kabuto."

The silver haired shinobi walked forward and smiled. "I'm so glad you remember me Naruto-kun. It has been far too long. I won't bother ask how you're doing, because I can tell that you're not doing well at all."

"But, I do have a question. Why isn't the Kyuubi healing you? Even if it can't grow back limbs, it should at least stop the bleeding."

Naruto grinned up at the shinobi. "Do I know something that you don't know Kabuto? It must be driving you nuts, huh? Why should I tell you?"

"Because," Kabuto started to answer as he formed a chakra scalpel in his right hand. "You'll die," he finished as he sliced Naruto's arteries to his heart, just as he had done over three years ago.

Naruto just smiled before he started to cough up some blood. "You'll never know," he started to sing before unconsciousness took over.

Kabuto' eyes widened in surprise before he activated medical chakra and started to reconnect the arteries before it was too late.

"What are you doing? He's an enemy, remember?"

Kabuto didn't bother to look at the speaker as he answered. "Because he wants to die. He must not be allowing the Kyuubi to heal his wounds because he has information that he is willing to die for in order to keep it from us."

A few moments later, Kabuto let out a sigh of relief when he saw Naruto-kun's chest rise up and down as he started to breathe again. He was extremely lucky that he had saw through Naruto-kun's plan; if the Jincuuriki had died, Ocorhimaru would have been extremely angry with him.

Kabuto moved on to treat Naruto's wrists. It was too late to reattach his hands, not that he would have if he had been able to. Giving him back his hands would have been a big mistake; besides, losing his hands weren't fatal.

After he managed to stop the bleeding, Kabuto pulled out a roll of medical tape and bandages and started to wrap Naruto's wrists. He activated a diagnosis ninjutsu once more in order to make sure that Naruto was out of danger. Satisfied with his work, he turned around and headed back towards the base.

"Come on, carry him back to base. We're done here," Kabuto called over his shoulder. "I have some work to get back to."

"Where would you like us to put him?"

"Just put him in one of the cells. I want three shinobi guarding him every second of every day."

"Hai!" the leader answered before he picked up Naruto none to gently.

"Careful," Kabuto warned. "He has information that I need."

"Sorry," he replied.

Kabuto started to leap ahead of the shinobi. Even though they were all ranked as Jounin, Kabuto found their company to be rather lacking.

"Oh, and let me know when he wakes up right away," Kabuto called over his shoulder. "Orochimaru-sama has tasked me with getting some information out of him…using whatever methods necessary."

"Would you like me to alert the Torture squad?"

"Hmmm…tell them to sharpen their tools. Naruto-kun is very stubborn…I'm sure that he'll need plenty of 'persuasion'. In fact, I think I'm going to have my work cut out for me."

**A/N:** Once again, I'd like to apologize for not updating sooner. Homework and work completely took up all of my time. I was actually going to make this chapter a lot longer, but then I realized I should stop at 54 pages…

Sorry if there are a lot of errors – I rushed the editing in order to get this out as quickly as possible.

I just know I'm going to piss off tons of people for what I just did to Naruto and Hinata. But whatever, just remember that this story _**will**_ be a Naru/Hina no matter what happens! It's under the tragedy genre for a reason people…

At least the manga is starting to get a bit better. Hinata isn't dead, and she finally admitted her feelings to Naruto. That restored a bit of my faith in the manga…but I'm still highly disappointed in it.

One last thing: if you have any questions, feel free to p.m. me or post a question on the thread I made for this story (the link is available in my author's page). I would prefer it if you posted it on the forum-that way, if anyone has a similar or same question, I can answer it at once instead of having to repeat myself multiple times.

Well, please review! Oh, and I hope you liked it! And hopefully, the next update won't take nearly as long!


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